Blue and Green
by Dior Crystal
Summary: There was no doubt about it. He was beautiful, and Grimmjow wanted him. A collection of short stories on GrimmUlqui. Part of a 100 Themes Challenge. REQUESTS OPEN. Yaoi, shounen-ai.
1. Busted

**Theme #1: Busted**

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How much longer was he supposed to stand here and watch this shit? He must have seen just about everyone's birth here. He was, after all, the second oldest arrancar in this whole damned place. Grimmjow fidgeted from where he stood. Stupid Aizen. Why the heck did he have to attend this stupid birth thing? It was not like he was interested. Heck, he was pretty sure that he could live without knowing their new comrade's name.

"This is stupid," Grimmjow muttered.

"Shut up and watch, Jeagerjaques," Nnoitra said. He was getting tired of the Sexta's whining.

"Fine."

Grimmjow crossed his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes at the scene before him. Aizen was touching the Hougyoku, bonding with it briefly. A bandaged body was inside the glass box. What else was new? This thing was pretty much routine. With the way Aizen was building up his army, he had been forced to attend these things everyday. The Sexta focused his gaze on to the bandaged body of their new comrade. With the body wrapped up like that, he could not tell what gender it was. But from the lack of tits, it must be a male.

Apparently, their new comrade was supposed to be powerful. Powerful enough to join the ranks of the Espada. Grimmjow scowled. No matter how powerful that little shit was, he was still going to beat the crap out of it. He was not going to lose face to some new puny (if the body size of the arrancar was anything to go by) arrancar. Well, just how powerful the bastard was, he was going to find out soon enough, because the glass box was beginning to crack, a sign that their new comrade was going to be revealed.

The box cracked and shattered, sending the pieces flying everywhere.

None of the Espadas flinched. They merely continued watching.

Even Grimmjow, who was not happy with being dragged to this event was silent. Mist shrouded their new comrade and slowly parted, revealing a slender and very much male arrancar. The new arrancar was looking around his surroundings, his short, raven hair slightly messy, eyes wide. He looked confused and lost. A look that was simply endearing on him. When those eyes landed on Grimmjow, the Sexta caught his breath. Those eyes were the brightest emerald that he had ever seen. So large and expressive. The colour of those eyes stood out against their new comrade's flawless, white skin. And the fact that the bandages were now gone, exposing that slender body, made Grimmjow's mouth water. How Grimmjow wanted to run his fingers across that perfect white skin. To have that delicate body twisting below him and crying out in pleasure...

There was nothing else to it.

"What is your name? Our new comrade." Grimmjow heard Aizen ask.

He was beautiful.

The pale arrancar tore his gaze away from Grimmjow and then looked up at Aizen. He paused for awhile before speaking, stumbling over his words slightly as though testing his voice. He then spoke, his voice crystal clear, "Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra Schiffer."

And Grimmjow wanted him.

"Hey, psst, Grimmjow! What the fuck is that?" Jiruga hissed, nudging him.

"Huh? Wha-?" Grimmjow snapped out of his reverie. He did not realise that everyone had their eyes trained on him now. Even Ulquiorra was staring at him, a pink blush spreading across his pale cheeks. "The hell you're all looking at?" When he saw that they were staring at something below his waist, Grimmjow looked down.

Oh, shit. No wonder they were staring.

His little buddy had made a tent on the front of his pants.

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**A/N:** Yes, people. I'm NOT dead. Damn you college for taking up all of my free time! I WILL update my fics but it'll take some time due to my workload. I'll definitely start updating after my finals in November. Anyways, this fic will be a series of drabbles and short stories with different themes. I've always wanted to do one of these things. This will be updated randomly. Reviews are appreciated.


	2. Fantasy

**Theme #2: Fantasy**

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Halloween was the one day in every year that one would be able to see humans dressed up in every costume imaginable. Be it magical creatures, animals, princesses, fairies, you name it, at least one of them was wearing a costume like that on that day. It truly was a magical sight. The streets would be brightly lit, houses would have Halloween decorations up and the place would be filled with every creature imaginable. The sight was like something out of a fairy tale.

And it was exactly last year that Grimmjow Jeagerjaques saw this sight and discovered this particular holiday. He had been on a mission when he first saw it; humans parading the streets in all sorts of costumes, going "trick-or-treat" whenever they knocked on a door. At first, he had scoffed, thinking that it was stupid. Why the hell were those humans wasting their time and energy on something so pointless? So the year came and went, and Halloween came again. Grimmjow had forgotten about the holiday until he noticed the hype created by Halloween a few days before it started. It was then that he remembered a particular costume that a human had been wearing last year during Halloween, and it gave him an idea. And so, he decided to make a little request to his lover and fellow Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had been together for over a year now and their love for each other was getting stronger by the day. Yes, they were extremely happy. Grimmjow had never felt happier than when he was with Ulquiorra. And why not? Ulquiorra understood him. He cared for Grimmjow. He knew exactly what to do to cheer him up whenever Grimmjow was feeling down. And he certainly did not hesitate straightening Grimmjow out should he ever act out of line. Grimmjow could not ask for better. Plus, their sex life was amazing.

It was just that... Well, after seeing that particular costume, it reignited a desire in Grimmjow that he thought had died long ago.

Apparently not.

So after much hesitation and nail biting, Grimmjow finally gathered enough courage to make the request to Ulquiorra. A little something to add more variety to their sex life. As expected, Ulquiorra had smacked him on the head and called him a "pervert". But after much persistence on Grimmjow's part, Ulquiorra finally gave in. Albeit reluctantly.

After getting his answer, Grimmjow immediately went to get what he needed from Szayel before Ulquiorra could change his mind. And now, the couple were in Grimmjow's bedroom with Grimmjow lying on the bed and Ulquiorra in the bathroom. Ulquiorra simply refused to come out.

"Come on out, Ulqui," Grimmjow said. "I want to see you."

"No," came Ulquiorra's voice from inside the bathroom. "I look ridiculous."

"Aww... Come on, Ulqui. I wanna see you."

"No."

"But you promised...!" Grimmjow whined.

"... Fine."

The bathroom door swung open, revealing an annoyed and slightly embarrassed looking Ulquiorra Schiffer. Grimmjow sat up from his position on the bed to get a better look at Ulquiorra, a grin stretching across his features. Ulquiorra looked so incredibly sexy that he had to restrain himself from fucking him right on the spot. "Come here," Grimmjow said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Ulquiorra sighed, but did what he was told. The things he did to make his perverted boyfriend happy. He walked slowly to where Grimmjow sat on the bed and settled himself on Grimmjow's lap, his arms wrapped around the elder's neck tentatively.

"You are going to pay for this," he said sourly.

Grimmjow ignored the comment and placed his hands on his superior's waist before flipping them over, making Ulquiorra lay on the bed with Grimmjow hovering above him. "No, you won't. You love me." He played with one of the furry ears that were protruding out of Ulquiorra's hair. "And you look incredibly sexy," he added, making Ulquiorra blush. "My little sex kitten."

"So are you," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm a cat."

A glare.

"I hate you."

"And I love you too," Grimmjow said, making the blush on the Cuarta's pale cheeks deepen.

When he was sure that Ulquiorra would not hit him, he lowered his lips to the white neck that was offered to him, sucking, licking and nipping at it repeatedly, turning the skin red, and renewing an old love bite in the process. As this happened Ulquiorra's breaths quickened, his eyes screwed shut, and his fingernails dug into Grimmjow's shoulders. Encouraged by this, Grimmjow bit at the flesh and pulled it with his teeth lightly. This little action earned him a small gasp from the man below him. Ulquiorra reached up and wrapped his arms around the Sexta's neck, pushing up against Grimmjow to lessen the distance between them. Already he could feel the growing need of the younger. Grimmjow smiled against Ulquiorra's heated skin. He always knew what to do to make the Cuarta melt.

And when he felt something wrap itself around his leg affectionately, he knew that Ulquiorra was no longer angry with him. Ulquiorra was so caught up in their current activity that he did not notice that his tail had curled itself around Grimmjow's leg.

Oh, and did Grimmjow mention what it was that he had gotten from Szayel to give to Ulquiorra? He had obtained a potion that would give a person feline characteristics for a few hours such as cat ears and a tail, which were exactly what Ulquiorra had right now.

As their clothes fell to the floor and Ulquiorra moaned under him as Grimmjow pleasured him, Grimmjow could not help thinking one thing:

At last he was able to fulfil his fantasy of doing it with his own kind.

**-End-**

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**A/N:** Totally and utterly random and weird, I know. Inspired by a cracky conversation I had with the GrimmUlqui FC members on Bleach Asylum. Part of a _100 Theme Challenge_. A late Halloween (?) fic. Next drabble: Panties. Reviews are appreciated.


	3. Panties

**Theme #3: Panties**

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After kissing his boyfriend Ulquiorra on the lips, Grimmjow bade him farewell before closing the door behind him. As soon as the door clicked shut, the disgruntled voice of their house mate reached Grimmjow's ears, "Good God. Why don't you two get a room? I don't want to see you two sucking off each other's face all the time. It's disgusting."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"If you don't like it, then don't look, Yammy," he replied evenly. He turned around, only to be greeted by the sight of Yammy's fat ass. Yammy was bent over, sticking his head in the fridge, looking for something to eat. He bent down so low that Grimmjow could see his butt crack and the thong that he was wearing. For a moment there, Grimmjow thought that he was about to go blind. And the fact that Yammy was sweating, effectively dampening the thong, did not help matters. It was not a pretty sight.

"How can I _not_ look? You both are ALWAYS kissing," Yammy complained. He grabbed a soda from the fridge and drank from it. "Where'd Ulquiorra go anyways?" He farted. "God, that feels so good."

Grimmjow wrinkled his nose. Yammy was saying that seeing him and Ulquiorra make out was disgusting? What about Yammy himself? Holy... That smelled like it had some carrots in it. "Ulquiorra went grocery shopping," he explained. Oh God, the smell...! The smell was so strong, his eyes started to water. "I think I'm going to do some unpacking before I pass out." He made to move towards his and Ulquiorra's room.

Yammy shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Once inside the room that he shared with Ulquiorra, Grimmjow was able to breathe properly. For the life of him, he did not know how he and Ulquiorra ended up with a housemate like Yammy. The man was impossible. They had just moved into this apartment, and yes, it was normal for things to be a bit messy, but damn it, Yammy left his things lying around practically EVERYWHERE. The man even left his sweaty, smelly underwear lying around. And knowing the man's lack of hygiene, he did not dare go near any of them. Well, Grimmjow would just have to put up with it till he graduated from college. Till then, he was going to have to restrain himself from killing Yammy in his sleep.

Grimmjow sighed as he looked at the unopened boxes in the room. He might as well unpack then. Ulquiorra was going to be home soon so he might as well get some work done before he returned. Ulquiorra had labelled all of the boxes so that they knew what were in them. Ulquiorra had always been an organized person.

Grimmjow smiled; he found that particular quirk of Ulquiorra's extremely endearing.

He was about to sit down and start opening the boxes when he saw a small box tucked away in a corner. The blue eyed man frowned. He did not remember seeing that box before. Could it be theirs? So Grimmjow approached the box and opened it. What he found nearly made his jaw drop.

The hell?

The box was filled with sexy lingerie. A LOT of sexy lingerie. Grimmjow looked around the room. There was no way that these could be Yammy's, right? These things were just... Grimmjow picked one up. It was a red, lacy thong. He blinked. There was no way any of these could belong to Yammy. For one thing, it was not very probable that they had their things mixed up with Yammy's. For another, he could not picture Yammy wearing anything remotely sexy. And God knows that no one ever wanted to imagine that.

Grimmjow rubbed his fingers against the material, a sly smile forming on his face. If this was not Yammy's then these must belong to Ulquiorra. He was as sure as hell that these weren't his, so Ulquiorra must have bought them specially for their love making. Grimmjow had bugged Ulquiorra for weeks now to wear sexy underwear to bed, but the raven haired man simply refused each time, saying that wearing such things was embarrassing. Seeing this, Ulquiorra must have had a change of heart.

He raised the thong up in the light so that he could see it better. The material was slightly see through and Grimmjow could imagine the red thong fitting Ulquiorra's body perfectly. The red of the thong was a contrast to Ulquiorra's milky white skin, but that was what made it even more sexy. The underwear simply screamed Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra always looked incredibly sexy whenever they had sex. Emerald eyes would be half lidded, pale skin would be flushed from their activities, Ulquiorra's breaths would be short and quick, and his lips would be a lovely shade of pink. Even thinking about Ulquiorra clad in the red thong as he lay in an extremely suggestive position was getting Grimmjow aroused. Grimmjow could not wait for Ulquiorra to wear it so that he could fuck his boyfriend senseless.

So when Grimmjow heard the room door creak open, he turned around, coming face to face with Ulquiorra. The emerald eyed man had his arms full of paper bags.

"Hey, Ulqui," Grimmjow said slyly.

"Oh, hello, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra looked distracted. "Will you stop playing with Yammy's panties and help me with these? These bags are heavy."

Grimmjow immediately dropped the thong. Ewwww.

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**DIOR:** Gahh I never knew I could be so disgusting :S I know that Yammy is huge, but let's just pretend that he's smaller, k? xD Anyways, I'll be **accepting requests** for the next short story. Word count will be below 1k. 1.5k at most. I will write whichever that has the highest demand. Reviews are appreciated.

**ART:** Ravefirell has drawn art on Ulquiorra for the previous theme _Fantasy_. The link is available on my profile. Give her some love! :D


	4. Transformation

**Theme #4: Transformation **

_for mama-Ichigo_

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"I will never hurt you."

A lie.

Ulquiorra screwed his eyes shut as the creature pushed him down on the bed, its hands on his shoulders holding him down. Its grip was strong. No matter how much Ulquiorra struggled, he could not break free. And when he felt its hot breath against his cheek, Ulquiorra turned his face away, repulsed. This only caused it to chuckle in amusement, though. It flicked out its tongue, running it along his jaw line.

"Ulquiorra..."

The raven haired teen shivered against the feel of its tongue running across his skin, his fingers digging into its neck and shoulders. Its voice was rough, and distorted. It was not a voice that sounded like it belonged to a human being, yet it did. In a twisted sort of way, the creature was human. Ulquiorra would be lying if he said that he was not scared, because he was. But he tried not to show his fear by putting up a front. He dared not look at its face. At its cruel, contorted face. Its face was merely a poor imitation of its true owner.

"_Ulquiorra," Grimmjow said, his hands on the sides of Ulquiorra's arms. "I..." He bit his bottom lip. He looked hesitant. Like he was troubled over something and was debating with himself whether he should tell Ulquiorra or not. _

"_What's wrong, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra heard himself asking._

"_I... I have a disease."_

A disease? Looking at his situation right now, Ulquiorra wanted to laugh. This was not a disease. It was something else. Something evil. When Grimmjow had told him that he had a disease, Ulquiorra thought that Grimmjow was going to die. However, Grimmjow said that it was not that kind of disease. Ulquiorra did not understand it at first, but when the "disease" started to take over, Ulquiorra was forced to open his eyes. The truth shocked him to the core. And the worst part was? It was irreversible.

Even though it had only happened a few weeks ago, that memory seemed so far away now.

"You're beautiful." It brushed a strand of raven hair that was sticking to Ulquiorra's sweaty brow away and tucked it behind the pale teen's ear.

More lies.

"..."

"Don't worry. This won't hurt. I'll take good care of you."

Lies. Everything that came out of this creature's mouth was nothing, but lies. This thing was nothing, but a disgusting copy, portrayal of the original owner. It may have the same features, the same blue hair and eyes, but it was not the same. This thing was disgusting, and its mere presence repulsed him.

Ulquiorra fisted his hands in the bed sheet when he felt it draw near, its hot breath tickling his pale neck. The weight of the powerful body on top of him made it hard for Ulquiorra to breathe. His mind was spinning, but Ulquiorra managed to keep a clear enough mind to know what was going on.

The time that it took for it to close its lips over a spot on pale neck and pierce the flesh with fanged teeth seemed to happen painfully slow for Ulquiorra. Blood trickled out of the wound, some dripping down onto the bed, staining it crimson. The raven haired teen clenched his teeth, not wanting a single sound of pain to escape. He could practically feel it feeding from him, his blood transferring into its mouth and sliding down its throat.

"_If anything happens, when the time comes, I want you to kill me. Promise me that."_

While it was busy feeding, Ulquiorra reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. He had been carrying it around since he had been given the request to kill. This creature was disgusting. It was a killer, and would endanger the lives of everyone around it. Ulquiorra lifted his arm and aimed the knife at its back, his intention clear. It was a miracle that he was able to even hold the knife what with his mind being blinded with pain. He hated the disease for taking over. The creature was just a poor imitation of the original. He tightened his grip on the handle of the knife, inching it closer to its destination. The creature did not even realise what he was doing. When the disease took over, the owner was no longer in control of his own mind. He was just gone. Forever. But... Ulquiorra stopped.

It sank its teeth into his pale neck once more. By now, the stench of blood was heavy in the air, pressing down on him, suffocating him. This time, Ulquiorra did not manage to hold back a gasp of pain from escaping his lips as it tore at his neck.

But even if the "disease" had taken over, that thing, this creature... it was still Grimmjow. And deep down, Ulquiorra was hoping for Grimmjow to return, to resurface. He slackened his grip on the knife. Ulquiorra stared up at the ceiling unseeingly, his mind in conflict. It was now unbuttoning his shirt, intent on doing more damage, on consuming more Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra tightened his grip once more on the knife. It was still Grimmjow, but he had made a promise with Grimmjow.

"Forgive me, Grimmjow," he whispered into the creature's ear.

And so with tears running down his face, Ulquiorra drove the knife home.

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**A/N:** My own weird version of vampires. I didn't take the traditional vampire route. This is a scene from one of my deleted fic ideas, so here you go. Of course, I editted and changed some parts so that it won't be confusing. I'll be writing a second version of this theme, maybe. It'll be crack, of course.

**FIC REQUESTS:** Wow, 7 fic requests? You all must really like GrimmUlqui :P Anyways, I'll be **closing requests** for now till all 7 are done. I'll reopen for requests again... One day x)


	5. Holiday

**Theme #5: Holiday **

_For Mikoura_

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It was confirmed. Aizen Sosuke has finally gone insane.

Do you know what he did?

The madman had actually gone and decorated the whole of Las Noches with Christmas decorations and lights. Why? Well, apparently, the residents of Hueco Mundo were not Christmassy enough and they needed to show some Christmas spirit. What. The. Fuck. Some were made to wear elf costumes, some were made to dress as children, some of the less fortunate ones like Yammy were made to dress as reindeer. Tousen was made to dress as an elf, and Gin was dressed as Mrs. Santa. And Aizen was... you guessed it, Santa Claus. And God knew that Grimmjow did not want to know why Aizen made Gin Mrs. Santa. The thought alone was enough to make Grimmjow sick.

And as if having everyone dressed in ridiculous costumes was not enough, Aizen even wanted everyone to actually _celebrate_ it. He practically forced everyone to give presents to each other. How the fuck he expected arrancars who were trained to kill to be nice to each other for an entire day, Grimmjow did not know. Heck, Aizen even made some of the fraccions sit on his lap to ask him for presents, just like what humans do in the human world. To top it all off, the nutcase actually somehow managed to make it _snow_ in Hueco Mundo.

You read that right. _Snow_.

That man must be on crack.

Looking at Aizen in his red suit and hat, fake white beard and huge tummy (he had stuffed a pillow into his suit), Grimmjow was not sure whether he was working for a crazy man who wanted to become God, or just a crazy man.

Grimmjow cursed under his breath as he plucked at his elf costume in distaste. Yes, he was made to dress as an elf. Ha ha ha, shut it. He had had enough of the constant teasing he got from Gin, and he certainly did not need it from anyone else.

The blue haired arrancar looked around his surrounding moodily until he came across a certain raven haired Espada. Ulquiorra Schiffer was looking out of the window in wonder, staring at the snow outside. He, too, was made to dress like an elf. Ulquiorra did not complain about his outfit as much as Grimmjow did, though. The Sexta had to admit, if he did not consider Ulquiorra as a cold bastard, he would have actually thought that Ulquiorra was cute, especially in that elf costume, in a weird sort of way. He looked quite... adorable.

Ulquiorra tilted his head, emerald eyes following the falling of pure white. Hueco Mundo was completely dressed in snow, burying the sand underneath, and he could see a few of the arrancars building snowmen and making snow angels. He frowned. He had never seen snow before, nor did he ever celebrate Christmas. What he knew about them was that both occur in the human world. Why do humans celebrate Christmas?

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said, turning to face the disgruntled Espada, "What is Christmas?"

"Hell if I know," Grimmjow said unhelpfully.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. "Answer the question, Sexta." His reiatsu spiked to show that he would not hesitate to force it out of Grimmjow if he had to.

See what he meant about Ulquiorra being a cold bastard?

Grimmjow scowled. "Christmas is a religious holiday that humans celebrate. It's to teach people the spirit of giving," he explained sourly.

"I see." The threatening aura that his reiatsu gave off lessened.

"It's already giving me something. It's giving me a headache," he added under his breath so that Ulquiorra could not hear.

"Ah, that's right, Grimmy-chan! Christmas is all about the spirit of giving," Gin said cheerfully as he came out of nowhere and approached them. Damn. Grimmjow nearly had a heart attack when the man suddenly appeared in front of them. Fox-face seemed to be everywhere, lurking around and only coming out when he wanted to. He did not seem to mind having to wear a red dress. Weirdo. "And now ya both have to give each other something."

"And what is that, Ichimaru-sama?" Ulquiorra inquired.

A smile tugged at the edge of Ichimaru's lips. "Give each other a kiss."

Grimmjow sneered. "Why would I want to kiss _him_ for?"

Gin grinned, then, and pointed up at the ceiling. "Mistletoe."

Sure enough, there, right above Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's heads hung an innocent looking mistletoe.

"What does that damned plant have to do with anything?" Grimmjow eyed the mistletoe warily.

Gin was only too happy to supply the both of them with the knowledge that they lacked. "When two people are standing under a mistletoe, they have to kiss each other."

The looks of surprise on both of the arrancars' faces were priceless. Even Ulquiorra paled. And he was _already_ pale.

"W-What?" Grimmjow spluttered. "You can't be serious! Ulquiorra, please say that you agree with me." He turned to look at the raven haired arrancar, who had been silent, desperately. "You agree, right?"

Ulquiorra blinked, coming out of his reverie. When he did, he fixed Grimmjow with an intense gaze. "Keep quiet, Grimmjow, and listen to Ichimaru-sama."

_EHHH?!_

"What? No! Hey, hey, hey! What the hell are you doing?" Grimmjow yelped, his face red.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath to keep his annoyance at Grimmjow's stupidity at bay. He glared up at the taller arrancar, his hands gripping the Sexta's collar. "I'm trying to kiss you, you idiot. And it would do you well if you'd keep quiet," he said pointedly.

"Hell no! Get your hands off of me, you freak!" Grimmjow struggled.

"This is an order from Ichimaru-sama, and Aizen-sama has also stated that we must participate in all Christmas activities."

"I don't care if it's an order by Santa Claus himself, I ain't letting you kiss me!"

Gin watched in amusement as the two Espadas fought each other; Grimmjow trying to get away from a very determined Ulquiorra, and Ulquiorra trying to pin the Sexta down. It sure was a good thing that Ulqui-chan was such an obedient arrancar, or else he would not have been able to watch such a lovely display. It made today much more entertaining than he had anticipated. With those costumes, it was like watching elves fighting. Big ones, anyways. Oh, and it looked like Ulquiorra was winning. Even better.

A yelp, followed by a thud and a cry of pain.

Success. Ulquiorra was finally able to pin Grimmjow down to the ground, the slender arrancar hovering above him. He was much too close for comfort.

Grimmjow's eyes widened. "Get off of me!"

"Stay still, Sexta," Ulquiorra ordered. He was now straddling Grimmjow, making the Sexta's eyes widen even more.

"Whoa, hey! I ain't gay!"

"I believe sexual orientation has little to do with this, so please stay still," Ulquiorra said drily. Grimmjow really could be tiresome sometimes.

"Yes it DOES have something to do with this! Hey, get away from me, or I'm gonna-"

But it was too late, for Ulquiorra had already leaned down and pressed his lips against Grimmjow's, his hands on either side of the larger arrancar's face. Grimmjow struggled at first, but Ulquiorra remained firmly on top of him. It was only when Ulquiorra brushed his tongue along Grimmjow's bottom lip did Grimmjow finally stop struggling and relaxed. His eyes slid close.

Hey. This was actually kind of... nice.

Ulquiorra's lips were surprisingly soft, and they fitted well against his own. Before he knew it, Grimmjow found that he was actually _enjoying_ himself. It all ended too soon, though, because the moment that Grimmjow's hands slid down to Ulquiorra's waist and tried to deepen the kiss, Ulquiorra decided that it was enough and withdrew. He did not miss the whine that Grimmjow was unable to suppress when Ulquiorra broke the kiss. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow.

"Ichimaru-sama said_ a_ kiss, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said matter-of-factly as he got off of him and straightened out his clothes. His voice and demeanour were calm, but his cheeks were pink; the only sign that showed them that the kiss had affected him. He slipped his hands into his pockets before turning on his heel to leave. He nodded at Grimmjow's pants. "And you _are_ gay."

Damn you, Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow scowled at Ulquiorra's retreating back, until an idea suddenly came to him.

He grinned.

"What are ya doing, Grimmy-chan?" asked a bewildered Ichimaru when Grimmjow suddenly stood up and plucked the mistletoe, stuffing it into his pocket.

"I'm going to catch me an Ulquiorra," Grimmjow said as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Hey, maybe he would actually come to like Christmas.

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**A/N:** I'm alive, and I'm not abandoning this! I still have 5 more requests to write :D Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this :)

**MIKOURA:** If you're reading this, for your first request (the quarterback!Grimmjow one), can you please clarify it? Sexual harrassment? Bondage? All of them sexually harrassing Ulquiorra or...? I'm sorry, I just don't want to get it wrong ^^; And thank you very much for your support! :P


	6. Fast

**Theme #6: Fast**

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If anyone had to ask, the fastest runner in their school was obviously Ulquiorra Schiffer. The pale teen was able to run circles around the other runners. Even Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, who was arguably one of the best runners in school as well, could not compete with Schiffer. He found this to be quite embarrassing, because Schiffer was shorter than him. He did, however, have a reason for his losing to the pale teen all the time, and in his mind, it certainly made up for his lack of speed and it made him look manly at the same time.

As usual, Ulquiorra was leading the team, sweating profusely under the hot sun as he ran.

Frustrated, Grimmjow yelled out, "Oi, wait up! My nutsack is a heavy burden!"

The first thought that crossed Ulquiorra Schiffer's mind was: "_... WTF_?"

* * *

**A/N:** Just a little something to make you go WTF. xD

**MIKOURA:** I'm glad you liked it. And thanks for your clarification and your support. *hugs* I'll do my best for your other requests, I like them :D


	7. House on the hill

**Theme #7: House on the hill**

_Dedicated to my Grandpa_

_Who passed away last month, on the 2__nd__ of January 2010_

* * *

Forty days. Ulquiorra could not believe that forty days had already passed since that day. His hands on the steering wheel tightened as a modest, little house came into view. He did not think that he would be back here so soon, back to their little house on the hill. Though he had a house of his own now, that little house still belonged to his family and they would sometimes go there to relax. Pulling the car to a stop, Ulquiorra parked it in front of the house. This caused the small child sitting in the passenger's seat to wake up from his sleep, having been jolted awake when the car moved forwards slightly before stopping.

"We're here, Ichigo," Ulquiorra intoned.

Small hands went up to rub at large, sleepy brown eyes. The child looked around his surroundings blearily, his mass of orange hair a mess, as usual. "I remember this place," he said in wonder. "Uncle Grimmy used to make us come here all the time."

"Yes, he did." A small, sad smile pulled at the edges of Ulquiorra's lips.

Emerald eyes darted from the house, to the large tree that stood tall and proud in the garden, to the plants all around, to the view of the mountains that the place offered, to the rocks that formed a ring as they faced the mountains. This place, this was the place that he grew up at as a child. Each thing he saw brought back memories from when he himself was a child. Only the ring of rocks were fairly new and brought only one memory.

Emerald eyes finally chose to settle on the small garden.

"_Ulquiorra! What happened?" The raven haired boy saw a pair of legs scurry over to the spot where he lay on the ground. He could feel himself being lifted up to sitting position so that the other could see his face, but Ulquiorra chose to stare resolutely at the ground. He did not want the boy to see the tears that tumbled down pale cheeks just because of the angry looking cut that he had on his knee. He did not want to look weak._

_They were both running around the garden, racing with each other when it happened. Ulquiorra got his foot caught under a rock, causing him to fall down and to scratch and cut up his knee. It had hurt and surprised the little boy so much that Ulquiorra started to cry. He had expected the other to mock or scold him, but the words that came out from his mouth instead took Ulquiorra aback;_

"_Oh, this looks pretty bad."_

_The sound of a piece of cloth being ripped before it was tied securely around Ulquiorra's knee._

_As all this happened, Ulquiorra did not look up once._

"_Na, nahh. Don't cry, Ulqui." A hand came up to brush raven hair out of emerald eyes. He must have heard the tiny sobs that Ulquiorra had been trying so hard to conceal. "See? Your knee is all better now. It'll be good in no time." The hand ruffled his hair in a comforting manner. "Come and look at me."_

_Ulquiorra shook his head._

"_Why not?"_

"_You'll laugh at me," Ulquiorra mumbled.  
_

"_Ulqui..." The voice was gentle and coaxing._

_Slowly, Ulquiorra raised his head to look at the smiling face of his older brother. Sapphire eyes softened at the sight. "Stop crying, kay? It doesn't look good on you." His brother raised his hands and rubbed the pads of his thumbs across Ulquiorra's cheeks, wiping the tears away. "They're going to show your favourite TV show in a bit. We can watch it together," he suggested in an attempt to make Ulquiorra feel better.  
_

_Touched, Ulquiorra reached up and wrapped his arms around his older brother, taking in his brother's scent as he pressed his doll-like face against a white shirt, wetting it with his tears. "Thank you, Grimmjow."_

That had happened so long ago, yet it was still fresh in Ulquiorra's mind. No one would have expected the both of them to be brothers since they looked so different from one another, yet they were. Many years have passed since that day, and both him and Grimmjow grew up into adults. Ulquiorra was no longer that timid, little boy from many years ago. He was still quiet, yes, but he was now able to stand on his own two feet. He did not need to rely on others anymore. He was now a successful lawyer, with a nice sized salary to prove it.

And Grimmjow? He had grown up to be a policeman and climbed his way to the top, but at a cost. The many years of fighting crime and seeing people become victims of murder and such had long chipped away his once cheerful exterior. He had become a rather serious and brooding individual, but there were times when the old Grimmjow would resurface, especially when Ulquiorra came to visit, with little Ichigo in tow.

"Come on, Ichigo. Let's go."

Ichigo nodded, allowing himself to be lifted out of his seat as Ulquiorra carried him in his arms.

Ichigo was Ulquiorra's godson and Ulquiorra had been taking care of the boy like he was his own son ever since Ichigo was orphaned a few years ago. Ichigo's parents had passed away in a car accident, leaving the boy alone. Ulquiorra lived alone, but once little Ichigo came into the picture, the house he lived in was no longer quiet and was filled with life. And usually, Ulquiorra would bring Ichigo over to Grimmjow's during the weekends for a visit. Grimmjow was not used to having children in his house, but over time, he had grown to be fond of the boy and even came to look forward to their visits.

The raven haired man placed Ichigo on the ground and took out a simple, bluish marble urn and a slab of grey stone from the car.

"What are you doing, dad?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"We're going to that place that your uncle made," Ulquiorra answered simply.

"The one with the rocks...?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "Do you have the flowers?"

Ichigo raised his arms, showing Ulquiorra the vase of flowers that he held in his hands.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "Then let's go." He held out his hand, which the boy took.

And so the both of them walked hand in hand towards the ring of rocks that overlooked the mountains. Except for the patches of grass that grew here and there, the place looked just about the same as it looked two months ago. Ulquiorra sat down and began going to work on making preparations; the rest of the materials that he needed were in a tool shack nearby.

"_Ulquiorra."_

"_Hm?" Ulquiorra said absently.  
_

_Grimmjow was looking at the mountains, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his expression thoughtful. "This is the most beautiful view here."_

"_Yes, it is," Ulquiorra agreed._

"_Do something for me, will you?" Grimmjow turned around to face Ulquiorra. When Ulquiorra did not answer and merely gave a "Hn" to show that he was listening, Grimmjow let out a shuddering breath, and said, his voice uncharacteristically soft that Ulquiorra had to look up from the book that he was reading, "Please? It's important."_

At that time, Ulquiorra did not expect the request that Grimmjow presented him with at all. If anything, it shocked him to the core, and the news that Grimmjow broke to him took awhile for him to take in and to accept.

_Two months ago, Grimmjow told him that he had liver cancer._

_Two months ago, Grimmjow told him that he wanted to be cremated._

_Two months ago, Grimmjow was still alive._

Ulquiorra's hands shook slightly as he made the gravestone that he had brought stand in the hole that he dug in the ground. They had gone to the doctor's for help, but apparently, it was too late. Grimmjow was already in a critical stage and was confined to bed not long after revealing the news to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra had even taken to living with Grimmjow in order to take care of him, bringing Ichigo along with him.

The fire in the ring of rocks was burning up the wood and charcoal nicely. Ulquiorra fanned the fire in order to make it grow.

Their stay at Grimmjow's was not an easy one. Ulquiorra worried and tended to his brother's every need while Ichigo was confused and upset as to why his favourite uncle, who once played and spoiled him all the time, no longer wanted to play anymore. Grimmjow was much too ill to have any visitors.

_One month later, Ichigo told him that he heard Uncle Grimmy's voice in a dream he had. It was 3 in the morning._

_Wide awake, Ulquiorra had gone to the kitchen at about 3 in the morning to get a glass of water for Ichigo and then decided to check on Grimmjow._

_It was at that moment that Ulquiorra realised that Grimmjow was no longer breathing._

Grimmjow was curled up on his bed when he found him, and he had a peaceful expression on his face, a small smile upon his lips. His lips and the tips of his fingers were blue when Ulquiorra found him like that, and he was ice cold. Ulquiorra remembered Ichigo calling for him, asking him what was wrong, while Ulquiorra just stood there in shock, the glass of water slipping from his fingers and shattering on the floor.

The truth that Ulquiorra no longer had a brother hit him hard.

"Ichigo, lay out and hold that white sheet for me, please," Ulquiorra said, his throat dry.

The small boy did as he was told, holding out the sheet carefully.

Ulquiorra took the urn that he had put next to a rock and proceeded to open it before pouring out the contents onto the white sheet with care. Some ashes spilled out, but mostly, it was fragments of bone that dropped onto the white sheet.

Ichigo looked at the contents of urn that now lay on the sheet, confusion passing over his features. "I thought you said these are ashes...?"

Ulquiorra smiled, though it was not a happy one. "Bones are not that easy to burn, Ichigo."

Once he had emptied all of the urn's contents, Ulquiorra tied the sheet up, making it a little bag for the contents, and then placed it on top of the charcoal and wood. The fire immediately started to eat away at the white sheet, the edges of the once white turning to a dark brown as fire consumed it.

"_I want you to cremate me twice, Ulquiorra. Gotta burn those damned cancer cells twice."_

Ulquiorra chuckled weakly when he remembered those words come out of Grimmjow's mouth. That Grimmjow, even in the face of death, he was still loud and obnoxious. But he immediately stopped chuckling when the fire began to consume the sheet more steadily now, causing its contents to spill out; it reminded him too much of the time when Grimmjow's coffin was shoved into the furnace, the flames quickly licking at the wood of the coffin, devouring it and enveloping it in orange and red. The amount of smoke that had come out of the furnace made Ulquiorra choke and his eyes sting painfully. So much so that he had to run away from the furnace, away from the smoke and fire, away from his brother. Even Ichigo, a child, understood how serious and sad an event a funeral and a cremation were.

Adding wood around the half-eaten package to ensure it would not get blown away, Ulquiorra stood up with Ichigo following suit. With Ulquiorra's permission, Ichigo placed the vase of flowers next to the gravestone, which had the words "Here rests Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, a wonderful brother and uncle. From your loving family" engraved upon it.

"It's okay, I understand why you couldn't play with me anymore," Ichigo whispered. "Goodbye, Uncle. I miss you." He touched the gravestone lightly, his bottom lip quivering.

Ulquiorra could not help, but to smile slightly at the sight. Ichigo may be a child, but he had an understanding for some things that was beyond his years.

A slight breeze came in then, caressing his skin and making Ulquiorra's raven hair sway slightly.

And for the first time since Grimmjow's passing, Ulquiorra allowed himself to cry.

_I love you, my brother. I will always remember you, for now and always._

_

* * *

_**DIOR CRYSTAL: **I'm back. This is dedicated to my grandpa who passed away last month due to liver cancer. This story is a mix of fiction and what really happened. This is part of the reason why I have been away for so long as I have been unable to write; I was too depressed. I miss him, but I'd rather not elaborate too much. I know this isn't my best, but it's what I wanted to write. Reviews are appreciated.


	8. Need

**Theme #8: Need**

**

* * *

**

Ulquiorra always looked forward to this time of the day, because it meant that he could retire to the comfort of his own room and not worry about anything else. Of course, that did not mean that Ulquiorra did not like serving Aizen-sama, but rather, there was always something to look forward to in Las Noches upon his return from a long, taxing mission. Back from yet another mission, Ulquiorra entered his bedroom, ready to go to sleep, when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves around him from behind.

"You're late."

"Grimmjow..." Ulquiorra closed his eyes and leaned back against his lover, enjoying the other's warmth. But then something made him snap his eyes open and shift uncomfortably in Grimmjow's arms. "Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said uneasily, "What is that hard thing poking in my back? It hurts."

Grimmjow nuzzled Ulquiorra's neck. "Pantera," he said innocently, lips moving against pale skin.

"What are you talking about?" Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He pointed at a zanpaktou lying on the bed. "Pantera is right there and-"

The only response that he received from the Sexta on his statement was a soft chuckle accompanied with Grimmjow grinding against him.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as comprehension dawned upon him. He flushed.

_Ohh_...

* * *

**A/N:** Supposed to be working on a new oneshot, but I've got a block so I wrote this small thing that'll hopefully help. It's a drabble I wrote on the GrimmUlqui FC on Bleach Asylum last year during a cracky convo with the members. Being the fangirls we are, we poked some fun at the kitty and it resulted in this XD I have forever stained the name Pantera, AND the command "Grind, Pantera". Sorry, Grimm, and everyone who got traumatised by my weird humour X.x


	9. Bunny

**Theme #9: Bunny**

_For UlquiorraRoxx_

_

* * *

_

Okay, Grimmjow was going to admit it. He felt bad. Even though he did not by any means push the teen down the stairs, he_ was_ partly responsible for it. Not that he would ever let him know. Grimmjow did, after all, lean in much too close, totally invading the teen's personal space, causing the younger to take a few steps back and fall down. So now, his neighbour, Ulquiorra Cifer, was at home with a broken ankle, unable to do anything, but stay at home and rest.

After that incident, Grimmjow had taken it upon himself to visit Ulquiorra every day to take care of him even though the teen insisted that he was fine and that he could take care of himself. Fine his ass. The little shit lived alone. How the fuck was he supposed to take care of himself if even walking hurt? Idiot. So every day after work, Grimmjow would come by Ulquiorra's house to make sure that the teen ate well and such. Sometimes, Grimmjow would buy some food for Ulquiorra to eat. This has been going on for two weeks already that it has become a daily routine for Grimmjow. His visits were so often that eventually, even Ulquiorra who was a rather private and quiet person, began to look forward to his visits.

And if Grimmjow was honest with himself, and he would not because it made him feel like a wuss if he did, he was beginning to enjoy the time that he spent with Ulquiorra. So he thought, since he was partially the reason for Ulquiorra's condition, why not do something nice for him? Get him a gift as an apology, perhaps?

His face burning at the thought, Grimmjow rang the bell on the table impatiently. He was in a store selling stuffed toys right now, and damn it, why wasn't there anyone here at the counter? Or an even better question would be, why the heck was he in a store selling stuffed toys? It was so fucking embarrassing. Just being in here made him feel like his manhood was being taken away. And the curious stares that he received from the people in the store did not help matters either.

Grimmjow was about to ring the bell for a second time when a petite, young woman hurried out of the storeroom and took her place behind the counter. She flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry for the wait. I was taking care of some things at the back," she explained, her cheeks flushed. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, there is, uhh..." Grimmjow peered at the nametag stuck to her shirt.

"Miss Kuchiki," the woman supplied.

"Right. Kuchiki," Grimmjow said absentmindedly. He looked around the shop. Cute plushies of a variety of colours were arranged neatly on the shelves. "Do you, uhh..." Damn it. Grimmjow closed his eyes. For the first time, he felt tongue tied. Shit. Oh, well. Here goes nothing. "Have anything that would make a good present?"

"Ahh. Looking for a present for a girl?"

Girl? Grimmjow wanted to bark out in laughter, but stopped.

Well, with that slender frame, raven hair that was slightly on the longish side, a doll-like face and large emerald eyes, sure, Ulquiorra _could_ pass off as a girl.

Grimmjow coughed. "I guess you can say that."

Miss Kuchiki smiled, the smile instantly reaching her eyes. "I have just the thing!" she exclaimed happily. And she went to one of the shelves, took a white stuffed animal and held it in front of Grimmjow, her face flushed in excitement and her eyes twinkling. "This is perfect. All girls love this!" she gushed.

Grimmjow took the stuffed toy from her and held it gingerly. He knitted his eyebrows in confusion, not entirely convinced. "Really?"

"Yes!"

And that was how Grimmjow found himself on Ulquiorra's doorstep forty five minutes later with the stuffed toy in a gift wrapped box. What could he say? The girl was so enthusiastic and sure that Ulquiorra would love the gift that he gave in and bought the damned thing. And now he was beginning to regret his decision. It was childish and too feminine a gift for Ulquiorra. The teen might even scoff at it. Grimmjow kicked at his feet nervously. He had just rung the doorbell and was now waiting for Ulquiorra to open the door. Grimmjow was almost tempted to throw the gift into the bushes when Ulquiorra suddenly opened the door, making him jump.

Damn it!

"Mr. Jaegerjaquez...?" Ulquiorra said curiously. "Are you alright?"

Fuck. Grimmjow glared at him. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that?"

"But it's your name, and..."

Grimmjow groaned inwardly. "It makes me feel fucking old, cut it out." Looking at Ulquiorra, Grimmjow felt like cursing. He knew that Ulquiorra was already in college and hence, was old enough, but why did Ulquiorra have to look so_ young_? It made him feel like a paedophile.

"Mr. Jaegerja-"

A glare. Ulquiorra, taking the hint, shut up.

Thank you, Ulquiorra. If Grimmjow did not feel like a paedophile before, he definitely did now.

"Uhh..." Ulquiorra really did not know what to say. Mr. Jaegerjaquez really was acting quite strangely, even for him. Maybe it was because he had called him "Mr. Jaegerjaquez" instead of "Grimmjow" like he always requested Ulquiorra to do, but Ulquiorra, being the well brought up teen he was, continued to address him as such. And now he refused to look at Ulquiorra in the eye, choosing to look down at the ground instead. "Ahh... Mist... Uhh."

Sweatdrop.

Then, Ulquiorra noticed the box that Grimmjow was trying to conceal behind his back. "What is that?" he asked curiously.

Grimmjow's eyes snapped open. "Eh?" He looked at the gift in his hands. "Oh. This is supposed to be for you," he mumbled, face growing red.

"For me?" Ulquiorra repeated, getting even more curious as he was handed the box. He looked up at the older man. "Why?"

"Tch. I didn't get it for _you_. I only got it cos you always look so mopey and it's annoying." A blank stare from emerald eyes. "Stop looking at me already and open the damned thing." Grimmjow could practically feel the heat rise up to his face.

Thinking that it was best not to refuse Grimmjow, Ulquiorra slowly unwrapped the box.

When Ulquiorra lifted up the lid and pulled out the gift, Grimmjow felt like taking back his words. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world. What was he thinking? This was stupid. He should not have given Ulquiorra that gift. What was he thinking when he got Ulquiorra that-

"You got me a rabbit." Confusion crossed Ulquiorra's face.

If possible, the blush on Grimmjow's face intensified.

"It's not just a_ rabbit_!" Grimmjow said heatedly. "It's Chappi!"

"..."

Ulquiorra stared at the white stuffed toy, hands holding onto both of its soft, cotton hands. It really was cute and well-made. It must have cost Grimmjow quite a bit to buy this for him, whatever the reason for it might be. It was an unexpected gift, and he did not know what to say.

Embarrassed, Grimmjow made to grab for the Chappi toy. "Look, if you don't like it, I'll take it back and-"

"No, no," Ulquiorra said, holding the toy out of Grimmjow's reach. He looked at the toy once more, and then at Grimmjow. "I like it."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yes," Ulquiorra said slowly. He smiled, then. "Thank you, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow was stunned. A pleasant blush crossed his face. That was the first time Ulquiorra called him by his name. He liked it. And Ulquiorra liked the gift. On top of that, Ulquiorra was smiling such a sweet smile. A smile that was just for him. Grimmjow really could not ask for more. He felt like he was floating on cloud nine. Coming back to his senses, Grimmjow scowled and looked away, though the pleasant blush was still apparent on his cheeks. "Tch, don't get used to it. It's just this once."

"Of course." Ulquiorra smiled once more. He stood to the side, and gestured at Grimmjow to come in. "Come on in."

As Grimmjow shuffled past him, cheeks burning, Ulquiorra looked at the strong, lean build, the blue hair and the sapphire eyes, as though noticing Grimmjow for the first time. He squeezed the Chappi toy softly, an unexplainable feeling of happiness bubbling within him. Stuffed toys were not really a favourite of his, and he never owned one before, but for some reason, he did not mind this one at all. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra decided, really was an interesting individual.

* * *

**DIOR CRYSTAL:** UlquiorraRoxx wanted me to do a continuation to her short story where Ulqui accidentally broke his ankle cos of Grimm. And that Grimm takes care of Ulqui afterwards. I hope you like it, UR, and that I wrote your Ulquiorra okay. Sorry that this is so late and if it wasn't what you expected D: Reviews are appreciated.


	10. In The Rain

**Theme #10: In the Rain**

_For Paradoxisimminant_

* * *

_"The one who brightened up my day when it seemed the darkest."_

**~ x ~**

Grimmjow hated the rain. It was cold and wet and miserable and it got him sick on more than one occasion. It basically spoiled everything. It also reminded him of too many bad memories. It reminded him of the times he had to walk back home alone after school because his mother could not be bothered to pick up her only son. It rained then. It also rained when his parents fought five years ago, a fight that ended their marriage. He still remembered how they screamed at each other, and how loud the sound of shattered glass was. It rained when his mother returned home not long after that, clinging onto the arm of her new man. It rained when one of his mother's numerous boyfriends hit him in a drunken rage because he talked back. It rained when he was locked out of his own house. Wet and shivering, poor Grimmjow had to find shelter under a tree.

In the fourteen years of Grimmjow's life, nothing good was ever associated with rain.

So whenever it rained, Grimmjow would instantly be in a bad mood.

He already had a bad day today, and the rain just made it worse. Grimmjow cursed under his breath as he pulled up the hood of his hoodie. Not that it helped any. He was practically soaked to the bone. Why he was even bothering to come back home, he did not know.

Spotting a bus stop area which also offered two benches and a shade as shelter, Grimmjow immediately made his way towards the place, pulling off his hood when he was finally out of the rain. The young boy sat on one of the benches, and pulled out a box of cigarettes from his bag. Lighting up a stick of cigarette, Grimmjow took a long drag from it before exhaling the smoke, watching how the smoke made patterns in the air as it floated away.

He really should have stayed in school today and waited till the rain died down. He kicked at his feet. But he was so angry with his teacher today for making him stay back for hours after school for detention that Grimmjow just did not care at the time. That Mr. Kuchiki was such an asshole. The man just _had_ to be an ass for one last time before he leaves his job, hm?

"That dumb fuck," Grimmjow said to no one in particular, before taking another long drag from his cigarette, absently wondering how the new teacher that was supposedly going to replace Mr. Kuchiki tomorrow was going to be like. He blew out the smoke, and was about to raise the cigarette to his lips again when he heard someone speak.

"In my opinion." Grimmjow whipped his head to find the source of the voice. "You're the dumb one."

The person who spoke was a pale man, probably in his early twenties. His raven hair was slightly on the longish side, with a lock of his hair falling perfectly between emerald eyes. He was standing outside in the rain, holding up an open umbrella to protect him from the rain. He had a disdainful look on his doll-like face as he observed Grimmjow smoke, his free hand stuffed in the pocket of his coat.

"The hell are you?" Grimmjow spat, standing up. "And who are you calling dumb?"

"That," the man said snootily, "is none of your business." He wrinkled his nose, eyeing the stick of cigarette in between Grimmjow's fingers in distaste. "And only dumb people smoke."

!!!

Grimmjow could not believe it. He stared up at the man, his mouth open. This guy was nearly as bad as Mr. Kuchiki. Who the hell did he think he was, looking down on him and suddenly lecturing Grimmjow like that? Grimmjow did not even _know _him. Heck, he had never even seen him before. "Bastard," he hissed.

"Trash."

Scowling, Grimmjow was about to bite back when he suddenly deflated. This was not worth getting angry over. He dropped the cigarette to the ground and grinded it with the sole of his shoe, putting it out. "There, you happy?" Grimmjow snapped at the surprised young man. "Now fuck off and leave me alone." The young boy sat back down, avoiding the emerald eyed man's penetrating gaze.

"You're cold."

"Well, isn't that obvious?" Grimmjow said bitterly. His damp clothes clung to his skin, making him shiver. "Nothing I can do about it."

"Hmm." The man surveyed him for a moment. He hesitated, wondering what he should do next. When he finally decided what to do, he spoke, the tone of his voice more civil, "Walk with me."

Grimmjow nearly snapped his neck looking up at the man so quickly. "What?" he choked out.

"Walk with me," the man repeated as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "You are soaked, and you need to get back home before you catch a cold. I have an umbrella." He held out the umbrella slightly, beckoning Grimmjow to come on over. "Your parents must be worried."

Surprised, Grimmjow blinked. When he finally regained his composure, he laughed. "What? Why should I go with you? For all I know, you could be a gay ass ra-"

"I'm not a rapist," the man said calmly, making Grimmjow shut up. "Now, come. You need to go back home."

Grimmjow hesitated. Should he go? He looked at the man, then at the snuffed out cigarette lying on the ground, then back at the man again. Though he did not know the guy, and the way he spoke pissed him off, the expression on his face was honest. And somehow, Grimmjow felt like it was safe for him to trust this man. He just did not have a threatening aura about him.

Standing up, the blue haired boy walked over to the man, taking shelter under the umbrella with him. "Just keep your hands to yourself," Grimmjow said gruffly.

"Of course."

And with that, they started walking in the direction of Grimmjow's home, Grimmjow directing him by muttering occasional _lefts_ and _rights_. Other than that, they did not really speak, the sounds of water splashing when they stepped into shallow puddles water and the falling rain filling the silence between them. Looking up at the man now, Grimmjow noticed that he was quite... cute. And also quite short for someone his age, but still much taller than Grimmjow himself. Heh. Grimmjow had no doubt that he would be taller than this guy one day.

"Does your mother know that you're coming home late?" the man said, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Grimmjow said, startled out of his thoughts. "Oh, her?" He shrugged. "She doesn't care."

The man chose not to make a comment on it. Instead, he stopped at a house which had a number 6 on it; it fit the description of what the boy described his house to be. "Is this it?"

"Yeah," Grimmjow replied, digging into his pocket for the key. "Uhh..." Sapphire eyes looked up at the man. "Thanks," he said, the word foreign on his tongue.

"Hn."

The man was about to make his leave when Grimmjow spoke up once more, curiosity bubbling up within him. He did not want the man to leave just yet. "Wait!"

He turned then, raising a dark eyebrow at Grimmjow. "Yes?"

"Why did you help me?" Grimmjow questioned.

"That, is none of your business. Trash like yourself should not be wasting your time on such things." The man returned to his snooty self, annoying the young boy. At the look on Grimmjow's face, however, his eyes softened. "Go inside or you'll catch a cold," he said softly.

"Damn, at least tell me your name!" Grimmjow stood rooted to the spot stubbornly, refusing to obey the man.

The raven haired stranger did not respond. Instead, he merely smiled gently before turning on his heel and taking his leave, leaving Grimmjow in his wake as he walked alone in the pouring rain, his long coat flapping behind him.

The next day in school, Grimmjow was still unable to get the man out of his mind. Even as he lay in bed yesterday, he only thought about that mysterious stranger that had decided to help him out of the blue. He could not forget how those bright, emerald orbs looked at him, as though_ seeing_ him and at the same time, understood him, both something that most adults did not do. He was... different. And somehow, he made that gloomy, rainy day seem not that bad.

Sighing, Grimmjow leaned back in his seat, ignoring the squeals of his fellow female classmates as they fawned over the new teacher that had just walked in, saying things like "Oh my God, he is so cute" and "He's so mine". Idiots. He had not seen the teacher yet, nor was he interested.

But then he heard someone speak, the voice making him snap to attention and look up;

"My name is Ulquiorra Cifer," the new teacher said, as he surveyed his students, emerald eyes bright.

Grimmjow's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the new teacher. There was no mistaking it. Emerald eyes fell on the blue haired boy who continued to look up at him in shock. The man seemed to be a little startled as well, but quickly regained his composure.

"And I will be your new teacher."

Grimmjow clenched his fists.

It was him.

_Is this fate?_

* * *

**DIOR CRYSTAL:** Could've been longer, I know. Trying to limit myself to writing less than 1.5K words here was hard. After writing this fic, I realized just how much potential it has to be a chaptered fic, so much I could expand on, so many loose ends... I was really tempted to turn it chaptered, but I decided against it. I have too many projects going on atm. So I'll just leave this as it is (for now?). Reviews are appreciated.


	11. Alone

**Theme #11: Alone**

_For Ravefirell_

* * *

Ever since Ulquiorra moved into this neighbourhood, he was alone. Regarded as a weirdo due to his much too large clothes on his frail, skinny frame, large green eyes and his much too pale skin, Ulquiorra was alienated by all of his classmates in school. None of the kids in his neighbourhood wanted to come near him either. And the fact that Ulquiorra was a quiet child did not help matters either.

Despite being alienated, Ulquiorra did well in school. He was intelligent and he was a fast learner. However, this led to jealousy amongst the students. Most of them did not think that it was fair for the weird kid to do so well, and so, this led to Ulquiorra being bullied occasionally. It was not unusual for Ulquiorra to return home with several scratches and bruises on himself. His mother would often worry and fuss over him, but he would always say the same thing; that it did not matter.

As time passed, Ulquiorra's optimism about finding a friend in the new neighbourhood wore thin till finally, the little boy just gave up trying. And hoping. Retreating into his own little shell, Ulquiorra became anti-social and cold, though he still felt lonely. No matter how much he tried to act as though he did not care, the fact remained that Ulquiorra was still a child. A very lonely one at that.

Today was just like any other day; Ulquiorra got up, got ready for school, sat alone on the bus to school, and attended classes. Sitting on his favourite swing at the school playground, the little boy kicked at his sneakered feet as he waited for class to begin. It was recess time now, and the rest of the kids were having fun playing together. As usual, Ulquiorra was left alone and ignored. Not that he minded. He was used to this sort of treatment now. Sighing, the little boy leaned back on the swing until he was hanging upside down and he came face to face with something that nearly made him fall down from surprise.

"Ack!" Ulquiorra grabbed onto one of the chains holding up the swing just in time before he could fall down.

"Hey, Ulquiorra," said the blue haired boy nonchalantly. He bit into the red apple that he held in his hand. "What are you doing hanging upside down?"

The raven haired boy narrowed his eyes, breathing hard. "You," he whispered, the distain in his voice apparent. "What do you want?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. I just wanted to hang out with you, I guess." Taking another bite from the apple, he continued, "So, what's up?"

Ignoring what the boy said, Ulquiorra righted himself on the swing so that his back was now facing the blue haired boy. He did not want to talk to him right now. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was the new kid. Since he was everything that students here considered as normal and cool, he was quite popular.

Now, Ulquiorra would not have minded him as much as he did right now if not for Jaegerjaquez's habit of following him around. He always turned up when Ulquiorra least expected it and each time, he would want the same thing; he wanted to spend time with Ulquiorra. Why he wanted to do such a thing when Ulquiorra did nothing to encourage him to do so was beyond him. Once, Jaegerjaquez even gave Ulquiorra a single flower, a daisy, tucking it behind Ulquiorra's ear. This action only earned Grimmjow a cold glare from Ulquiorra. The boy was downright annoying.

"So... Wanna play on the see-saw together?" Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow ask.

"No."

"How about if we play catch?"

"No."

"What about-"

"No."

"Aww, you didn't let me finish-"

Ulquiorra turned around to glare at the boy. "I would not like to do anything with you, thanks. Now go away, trash."

Being the idiot he was, Grimmjow ignored that. Instead, he leaned towards Ulquiorra, looking at him curiously.

"Don't come too near me, idiot!"

"Why is Ulquiorra always alone?" he asked, going straight to the point.

Scowling, Ulquiorra retorted, "Because I want to be."

"But doesn't it get lonely?" the blue haired boy pressed. Before Ulquiorra could respond, Grimmjow started talking again. The boy was a chatterbox; he could talk the ears off of anyone. "A circus is coming to town this weekend, do you want to go?"

No response. Why couldn't he just go away?

"There'll be lots of things to do there. There'll be games. And we'll be able to watch the acts there. I'm really looking forward to seeing the stuff that they'll pull there! I heard that the Strongest Man in the World will be there as well-"

Didn't he get it? Ulquiorra was not interested.

"Oh! You'll be able to meet my parents too. They've been looking forward to seeing some of my school friends. Ma says she'll cook a nice dinner, too. When you come, don't mind my lil brother, Luppi. He's quite hyper, but is pretty harmless and-"

Ulquiorra raised a hand, stopping Grimmjow mid-sentence.

"What?" Grimmjow said, confused.

"What makes you think that we're friends?"

Sapphire eyes blinked in surprise. "Aren't we?"

"No."

Something that was unlike hurt crossed blue eyes, but Grimmjow quickly regained his composure. "Everyone needs a friend." He grabbed onto the two chains supporting the swing that Ulquiorra was sitting on, pulling it back slightly before letting it go, allowing the swing to move forward. When it came back, he pushed at Ulquiorra's back lightly. "Don't you think so too?"

"..." Ulquiorra tightened his grip on the chains, staring at the ground.

When Ulquiorra made no response, Grimmjow continued, "I think Ulquiorra is interesting." He pushed once more when the swing swung back. "Sure, Ulquiorra is always saying mean things to me. But I think you do that 'cause you're scared. Ulquiorra is actually nice." He held onto the chains, making the swinging motion stop. Ulquiorra looked at him sharply. "I'd like to get to know you more."

His words made the raven haired boy stare. For once, Ulquiorra was at a loss for words. When he finally spoke, he only shook his head and said, "Idiot", to which Grimmjow responded with a shrug. He knew that Ulquiorra would take time to open up to him.

**~20 years later~**

Ulquiorra Cifer was now a grown man. He was no longer that frail, skinny child from all of those years ago. Sure, some traits of his such as being rather quiet still remained, but the bitterness was gone. He was no longer cold, and he no longer lashed out at people out of fear. He was still Ulquiorra, just without the fears he had during his childhood. Remembering how he was like as a child, he could not help smiling. Ulquiorra sat on the swing in the garden, swinging himself lightly, enjoying the feel of the light breeze on his face. He hummed to himself softly.

It was nearly time for bed, but Ulquiorra did not care. He was enjoying himself. This still calm was something that he did not get to experience at work. Sighing, Ulquiorra was about to push himself back, when he felt a pair of warm hands close over his. Knowing exactly who those hands belonged to, Ulquiorra leaned back, his head resting against a solid chest. The person behind him bent down and nuzzled his neck.

"You've been out here all this time? It's nearly time to sleep," the person scolded him playfully.

"Yes. I just felt like I needed a breath of fresh air for awhile. Work has been overwhelming, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra smiled up at the blue haired man. "I wanted to think."

"I don't know what is it with you and this swing." Grimmjow chuckled, shaking his head. He knew that when Ulquiorra was like this, there was no use trying to persuade him to do anything else. So instead of trying to persuade him to come back into the house, Grimmjow tilted Ulquiorra's face slightly and gave the raven haired man a chaste kiss on the lips. "Don't stay out too long, okay?"

"Okay. I won't," he promised.

Later that night, as he lay in bed with his lover, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the man's arm wrapped around his waist protectively, Ulquiorra could not help thinking about how lucky he was to have met the blue haired man. Sure, Grimmjow changed over the years, and was not exactly the same as before, but so did Ulquiorra. Because of him, Ulquiorra's days in school became much more bearable and he had a companion. Because of him, the empty void in his life was filled. Because of him, Ulquiorra learned to open up to others again. Tracing the handsome man's features, Ulquiorra could not help smiling, his head on the man's chest. Because of him, Ulquiorra was not lonely anymore.

And though the sleeping man could not hear him, Ulquiorra spoke, his voice soft;

"Thank you, Grimmjow."

* * *

**DIOR CRYSTAL:** Also written for the GrimmUlquiFC's 25K hits on DA. Heh. This fic didn't come out the way I wanted it to, but, oh wells. And also, to those who read _House on the hill_ and reviewed, thank you very much for your condolences. I read them all and appreciate each and every one of them :3


	12. Sparkle

**Theme #12: Sparkle**

**

* * *

**

Grimmjow staggered backwards, overwhelmed by the amount of light emitting from the creature before him. It appeared that the creature was a skinny, pale man with raven hair, that was all that he could tell; his features were obscured with sparkles. His skin was sparkling from where the sunlight hit it, and the fact that it was an incredibly sunny day only made things worse. The man was slowly making his way towards Grimmjow, his movements calm and steady. The light was so bright that Grimmjow had to shield his eyes with his arm.

"Do you fear me?" the man questioned him calmly.

Sparkle.

"Fuck no! Get away from me, you freak!"

Sparkle, sparkle.

The man paused in his footsteps, clearly amused. "Do you have any idea what I am, trash?"

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle.

"Yes." And though it hurt his eyes, Grimmjow removed it and tried looking at the man straight in the eye. This action only made tears spring out of his eyes, though. It was just so bright. The sparkling was too much. "You're... a_ vampire_," he breathed.

* * *

**DIOR CRYSTAL:** Let me get one thing clear, I have NOTHING against Twilight; I'm fine with it. Since people always make Ulqui a vampire, I just thought it would be amusing for him to be a sparkling one. This ficlet is of course, an exaggeration. It's just me being ridiculous.


	13. Identity

**Theme #13: Identity**

_For Ravefirell_

* * *

"Hey, Ulquiorra!"

"What?" Ulquiorra said, irritated. He was busy making a cup of coffee for a customer and was not in the mood for chit chat with the annoying Jiruga. "Can't you see that I'm busy?"

Nnoitra leaned against the counter that Ulquiorra was using to make coffee on. He watched as Ulquiorra poured some cream into the mug, a sly grin making its way onto his face. He did not seem to mind the fact that Ulquiorra was pointedly ignoring him. "Yeah, yeah, but I bet you're not too busy to know that your lover is here."

_That_ caught Ulquiorra's attention.

He looked at Nnoitra, startled. "What?"

In response to Ulquiorra's question, Nnoitra pointed at a blue-haired man sitting in the corner of the coffee shop. When Ulquiorra looked in the direction that Nnoitra was pointing at, the lanky man chuckled.

"Man, you've got it bad." He thumped Ulquiorra on the shoulder. "Lucky for you, he's sitting at your table. Go on and take his order, stupid. I'll take this to the customer." And with that, Nnoitra took the steaming mug of coffee that Ulquiorra had just finished making, placed it on a tray and served it to an elderly woman who sat a few tables away from the blue-haired man. After that was done, Nnoitra winked at Ulquiorra and mouthed "Go on" to him.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes at that, though he could feel the heat rise up to his face.

Taking out a notepad from his pocket, Ulquiorra made his way towards the blue-haired man, who, upon seeing him, greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, may I take your order?"

The man did not even look at the menu provided. "I'd just like the usual," he said. "Hot chocolate. You do know that, right, Ulqui?"

Ulquiorra flushed, but otherwise, ignored the nickname that the man had taken to calling him. "Of course," he murmured. "Your order will be done in a few minutes."

"Sweet."

A few minutes later, after Ulquiorra served the man his drink, he sat behind the counter with nothing to do. He sighed, playing with a pen between his fingers. Sneaking a peek at the man, he saw that he was drinking his drink while reading today's newspaper.

That man had been a customer of theirs for awhile now and he always ordered the same thing. Being a college student, Ulquiorra had to try and find ways to make ends meet in order to pay for his rent. Ulquiorra first met him after working here for a week. Ulquiorra was walking to work at the time when it suddenly rained, and he would have been completely soaked if the man did not come and offer to share his umbrella with him. Relieved, Ulquiorra accepted the offer. Since the coffee shop was not too far off, they both walked there together.

Ever since that incident, the man had taken to visiting the little coffee shop nearly every day.

Nnoitra often teased Ulquiorra, saying that the only reason that he came here was not for the supposedly "damn good hot chocolate", but because, as Nnoitra vulgarly put it, that he wanted to "tap your ass". This only resulted in Jiruga receiving a cold stare from Ulquiorra, not that the other particularly cared. Though Ulquiorra did not want to admit it, he was attracted to the blue-haired man. He would find himself looking forward to his visits to the coffee shop, and would feel a bit disappointed whenever he failed to turn up. Whenever he turned up, they would talk to each other.

By now, Ulquiorra already knew what the man worked as, where he lived, the name of his pet cat, and the names of his younger brother and his parents. Oddly enough, even though Ulquiorra knew all of these things about him, he did not know anything about Ulquiorra other than his name and the fact that he was a college student. But what was even more absurd was the fact that the raven haired teen did not know his name.

Which was ridiculous.

Ulquiorra sighed once more. His boss did not approve of any of the workers chatting with the customers, so he always had to keep his conversations with the man as brief as possible. And Ulquiorra did not think it was appropriate for him to approach the man either, so...

"Yo, wake up. You there?"

Emerald eyes snapped to attention and he found the object of his daydream standing in front of the counter. Ulquiorra flushed. "I apologise. I was distracted."

"It's fine." A smile. He fished out some notes from his pocket and placed them on the counter. "Here you go. That should cover it. You can keep the change. Anyway, I'll be seeing you soon, alright?"

"Soon?"

"You'll see." The man grinned. "But I'll have to go for now. Promised to meet up with some friends. See you later, Ulqui. Just give me a call if you want to meet up." He gave Ulquiorra a small wave before turning on his heel and leaving the shop.

Give him a call? How was Ulquiorra supposed to do that?

The man must have been joking with him. It was not unusual for him to crack a joke or two once in awhile, though this one did not make sense at all. How was Ulquiorra supposed to call him when he did not even know the man's number? Shaking his head, the raven-haired teen took up the notes that he had left on the counter-

Only to have a single white paper fall out from between the notes.

Frowning, Ulquiorra picked up the piece of paper. What was this? He must have left it in there by accident. Upon opening it, though, Ulquiorra saw that he could not have been more wrong. Written on the small piece of paper were the words "Just give me a call if you'd like to hang out. From, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez" along with his cell phone number. Ulquiorra closed his fingers on the small piece of paper, a small smile lifting at the edges of his lips. He looked up at the clock that hung on the wall.

Half an hour more till his shift was over.

It looked like he was going to give Mr. Jaegerjaquez a call after work.

* * *

**HONEY-CHAN: **Grimm and Ulqui's names were originally romanized as Jeagerjaques and Schiffer, but they've been changed to Jaegerjaquez and Cifer. So these are now their official names. Not as pretty, I know. I'm still trying to get used to it myself xD Thanks for reviewing :P

**DIOR:** I'm currently working on the 8th chapter of _Just Like A Girl_, so... yeah. I'll try to get it up as soon as I can. Man, I feel so overwhelmed. So many things to write, so many deadlines. I feel so drained. Anyways, I'm not sure how I did on this prompt, but I hope it's okay. I don't want to bore anyone with details, so I'll end my A/N here.


	14. Rape

**Theme #14: Rape**

_For Mikoura_

* * *

Pain.

That was all Ulquiorra felt when he was beaten and the feeling felt even worse when he was defiled. The pain that he was made to experience was caused by none other than the three people who were a part of the football team. Usually, they would be with a teal-haired teenager, Grimmjow, who seemed to be their leader, but today they were not. Ulquiorra hated him, but not as much as he hated the others. Though Grimmjow and the rest often mocked him for his appearance, at least he had some decency and sense of respect. Whenever he was around, he always kept their behaviour in check so that they did not go over the line, but since he was not around... Ulquiorra gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a sound as he was violated.

They went over the line today.

Ulquiorra never cared when people made fun of him. He would often just shrug it off. But this was something that he could not simply shrug off. No matter how hard he tried to block out the noise around him, he could still hear them jeer at him, laugh at him, he could even still hear the sickening sound of skin slapping against skin, and the most humiliating one of all, he could hear himself allow a pained gasp escape his lips. Ulquiorra had always carried himself with pride, and hardly anything bothered him. But now... Now his pride was broken and being stepped upon. He cursed himself for not seeing this coming, cursed his own ignorance and arrogance, for not seeing the signs. Otherwise, he would not even be in this situation. With the way he was being pressed to the ground, he could hardly even _breathe_. He felt suffocated.

What was worse was the fact that he could not even defend himself since his hands were bound. He could not stop any of them from touching him. He could not stop their hands from roaming his body uninvited. He could not stop them from tasting his skin and leaving their mark upon him. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He did not want any of this. Ulquiorra screwed his eyes shut when he felt hot breath on his skin before a mouth closed over his neck and sucked hard. It sent chills up and down his spine.

Disgusting.

Ulquiorra knew that more than doing this out of pleasure, they left marks on him as a reminder. As a souvenir of this event. They did not want him to forget this anytime soon; may it forever be embedded in his memory, whether he wanted it to or not. He could feel something wet run down his cheeks as he felt himself being torn open, and following that feeling, Ulquiorra could feel himself bleed.

Ulquiorra was already gasping for breath when a hand suddenly closed around his throat, suffocating him even further. Ulquiorra's eyes snapped open in alarm and saw the one causing him pain grin at him. That cruel face with a twisted grin on it and steely grey eyes that were looking at him in a predatory manner. When the other applied more pressure on his throat, Ulquiorra desperately tried to push him off of him, but to no avail. He struggled, starting to feel light-headed due to the lack of air, clawing at the man's wrist. No. This could not happen. This, this was... His vision began to blur and darkness began to eat away at the edges. Was this goodbye to-

And he was able to start breathing normally again. Even the pain had stopped. Though the pain from the wounds that he had received still lingered, the pain of feeling as though he was being torn in half was gone. Ulquiorra took in huge gulps of air, trying to compensate for the lack of air that he had to go through, before looking to see what had caused the abrupt stop to things. He had heard yelling and the sounds of things breaking and being thrown. The first person he saw was that teal-haired male... What was his name again? Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, right? The other three males lay unconscious at his feet, no longer a threat to the raven-haired male, much to Ulquiorra's relief. Was Jaegerjaquez the one who knocked them all out?

Sapphire eyes widened when they took in Ulquiorra's condition, horrified. Grimmjow was speaking to him in a panicked and worried voice. What he said, though, Ulquiorra did not know. He felt faint and was slipping in and out of consciousness. Even Grimmjow looked out of focus as his vision began to blur once more. He was exhausted. What he had gone through... It went on for far too long and all Ulquiorra wanted was to rest. Ulquiorra did not even make to move when Grimmjow drew close, made him put on his jersey to cover him up and then scooped him up in his arms. A hand went to the side of his face, sapphire eyes examining him. Ulquiorra tried to speak, but was not able to form any words. His throat hurt too much.

Grimmjow was speaking to him again, but Ulquiorra still could not make out the words. Instead, he leaned his head against Grimmjow's chest tiredly, and listened to the steady sound of his heartbeat. It calmed him, somehow. Jaegerjaquez sighed before holding Ulquiorra even closer in a protective manner, and Ulquiorra welcomed the warmth that he provided. He felt... safe here. That was his last thought before he closed his eyes and fell unconscious.

* * *

**DIOR:** As requested by Mikoura. I decided to try a slightly different style of writing for this one. Sorry if it hurts your eyes ^^; And oh yes, I made a Formspring page, so if there's anything anyone would like to ask me, ask away. The link is available on my profile :D


	15. Progress

**Theme #15: Progress**

_For Mikoura_

* * *

When his cell phone beeped for what must have been the fifth time that morning, Ulquiorra Cifer immediately rejected the call.

He did not need to look at the screen to know who had called him. All of his friends knew better than to call him in the morning without a good reason. He scowled. The only person stupid and persistent enough to call him so early in the morning was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. The idiot really did not know when to give up. Ulquiorra had practically lost count the number of times he rejected the teal-haired teenager. But did he listen? No. It seemed that Grimmjow only heard what he wanted to hear, and he tuned out everything else.

Trash.

"Ulquiorra! Time for you to get to school!" called a voice from the kitchen downstairs.

"I'll be just a minute."

Ulquiorra quickly buttoned up his shirt, shouldered his bag and went downstairs, ready for another day of school. He was just about to reach the door when he was stopped by his mother.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Ulquiorra," she said, carrying a few items in her arms. "I found these on the doorstep. They're for you."

He only had to take one look at the items in her hands to know who they were from. Cards, a box of chocolates and a few white roses. There was no doubt about it. Those gifts were from Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Just the thought of it was beginning to make a vein in his temple throb. His mother on the other hand, seemed quite amused with the entire situation.

Ulquiorra shifted the bag on his shoulder and turned the doorknob to open the door. "Throw those things away," he said indifferently. "I have no use for them."

"Are you sure, Ulquiorra? That's what you said last time. Don't you want to keep at least one of the gifts from your admirer?"

A pause.

"No."

And with that said, Ulquiorra pulled the door open and left the house, already in a bad mood.

"Have a good day, Ulquiorra!"

He waved at his mother before continuing to go on his way to school.

A couple of calls and a few gifts from the one person that Ulquiorra despised. What a wonderful way to begin the day. The raven-haired teen grumbled under his breath. That idiot really needed to get a life. He was beginning to get on his nerves, and that was saying something because hardly anything annoyed Ulquiorra. He was always calm and composed in every situation imaginable, but when it came to a certain teal-haired male... Ulquiorra pursed his lips. Grimmjow was probably the only person that he had ever come across so far that was able to annoy him. The man was infuriating.

Ulquiorra watched as cars drove past him. No doubt they were people who were either on the way to work or were parents who were sending their children to school. When he saw a person riding a motorcycle ride past, he was once more reminded of Grimmjow. Ulquiorra scowled.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was a biker. He was pretty well-known in school and was quite popular with the girls. And, well, everyone. Everyone except Ulquiorra, of course. And most of the teachers in school.

Ulquiorra never liked Grimmjow. He was much too loud, brash and the language that he used was coarse. He was also too smug for Ulquiorra's liking. The way he swaggered down the halls in school like he owned the place annoyed him. Yet for some unknown reason beyond his own understanding, the students in school treated him as though he was a celebrity. This, in Ulquiorra's opinion, only made Grimmjow even more unbearable because they were only adding to his already bloated ego.

Sighing, Ulquiorra was about to take a left when he suddenly felt someone wrap an arm around his shoulders. He was so shocked that he nearly punched the person, but when he saw who it was, the scowl on his face deepened.

"Hey, Ulqui."

The raven-haired teen glared at the person who dared to touch him.

"Hello, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said icily.

"So-" Grimmjow pulled Ulquiorra closer "-why didn't you answer my call just now?"

Ulquiorra avoided his gaze. "I was busy."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's okay." Grimmjow grinned. "You're looking cute today."

"Don't attempt to flatter me, Jaegerjaquez," Ulquiorra said flatly. "Now, get your arm off of me."

The grin on Grimmjow's face widened. "No."

Ulquiorra threw him a dirty look, and Grimmjow, sensing that perhaps it would be better not to mess around with Ulquiorra today, let go.

Now free from Grimmjow, Ulquiorra immediately took the opportunity to walk briskly in an attempt to leave the other behind. Grimmjow, however, was not to be left behind so easily. He simply kept up to Ulquiorra's pace so that they now walked side by side. Ulquiorra's mood soured even further. Of course. He should have expected that.

If Grimmjow paid this much attention to any of the girls in their school, they would have been over the moon. But not Ulquiorra. He did not know what he did to be given the misfortune of attracting Grimmjow's interest. He was perfectly happy when Grimmjow did not know him at all, but ever since that day, he could not go anywhere without having Grimmjow tag along, bugging him. It was like having a second shadow, and Ulquiorra did not like it at all.

Ulquiorra had been on the way out of school when it happened. Grimmjow had just gotten off of his motorcycle, and since he did not see where he was going, he accidentally walked into Ulquiorra, causing the both of them to trip and fall to the ground. And if having Grimmjow land on top of him was not bad enough, Ulquiorra was unfortunate enough to have his lips land on his own. At the time, Grimmjow was just as shocked as he was and even apologised to him profusely. But after that, he started to notice Ulquiorra and take an interest in him. And that was how his pursuit for Ulquiorra began.

Every day without fail Ulquiorra would receive gifts, cards and calls from Grimmjow. How he even managed to get Ulquiorra's number, he did not know. All that he knew was that it was getting on his nerves. Grimmjow was not one to be shy about his feelings so practically the entire school knew about them. There was not a day that he went through that did not involve one of Grimmjow's admirers glaring at him, someone gushing about how lucky he was or someone making a crude comment on how they did not know that Ulquiorra liked "it up the ass". Needless to say, the ones who did the latter never did that again after Ulquiorra was done with them.

"So... Are you free today after school, Ulqui?"

Great. Not this again.

"No," Ulquiorra said curtly. "And don't call me that."

Grimmjow ignored Ulquiorra's statement and continued, "How about tomorrow?"

"I'm busy."

"This weekend?"

"Busy."

"Next weekend?"

"Busy."

"The weekend after next?"

"Busy."

"Aw, man, you can't expect me to believe that you're too busy to even go out for a cup of coffee?"

"You better believe it," Ulquiorra said drily. _Especially where you're concerned_, he added mentally.

"Then..." Grimmjow scratched his chin as he thought. "How about next month?"

Oh for the love of- Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks and turned to face Grimmjow. He could feel a vein throb in his temple. Did this man know when to give up?

"I am _busy_," Ulquiorra said, placing emphasis on the word "busy".

"Then how about hanging out during recess?" Grimmjow tried again.

Ulquiorra's right eye twitched. "I'll be studying," he lied.

"Oh." A pause. Then, Grimmjow's expression suddenly brightened as an idea came to him. "How about I study together with you?"

Ulquiorra frowned. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because," Ulquiorra said, beginning to get angry. "I study better alone."

"Oh, okay then."

When Grimmjow did not say anything else, Ulquiorra sighed in relief, thinking that he had given up, until-

"So what about the month after next?"

...!

"No."

"What about July?"

"No."

"August?"

Ulquiorra curled his hands into fists, trying his best not to lash out at Grimmjow. _Calm down, Ulquiorra. It's just Grimmjow..._ "No."

"September?"

_Even though he is persistent, don't let him get to you..._

"No."

_He may be annoying, but that is no reason to get angry._

"October?"

_So just control your anger and keep your head held high._

"No."

_And sooner or later, he'll go away._

"November?"

_Or else you might say something you'll regret._

"No."

_And can't take back._

"How about December?"

"For goodness' sake, Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra said, whirling on him once more. "If I go out with you, will you keep quiet?"

As soon as the words left his lips, Ulquiorra's hands immediately flew to his mouth, horrified. Grimmjow, on the other hand, simply grinned.

"Thanks, Ulqui," he said. "I'll see you tonight then." And he leaned forward, planting a kiss onto a shocked Ulquiorra's cheek before Ulquiorra could come back to his senses and punch him, and walked into school. He had an all too smug look on his face.

Ulquiorra's shoulders slacked. He stared at Grimmjow's retreating back, his mouth gaping slightly. He could not believe it. Th-that bastard had planned this! He had fallen completely into Jaegerjaquez's trap!

_Damn you, Grimmjow._

_

* * *

_**DIOR:** As requested by Mikoura. Well, that's the last request for _Blue and Green_. So you'll all be seeing my usual randomness here again on _Blue and Green_, hehe. Prepare yourselves 8D I need to finish off 4 more requests before I can start working on my personal projects again, new and old. I can't wait! ^w^ I've been itching to put up a new chaptered fic since I don't know when. I have so many fic ideas, it's not even funny. D: Rawrrr I can't wait XD I already started writing one of em. It's not GrimmUlqui or UlquiGrimm, though, but I'm excited all the same. It has been so long since I've been able to write for myself :D


	16. Sick

**Theme #16: Sick**

* * *

Ulquiorra was having a good day. Aizen-sama had praised him for a good job well-done, Yammy had actually managed NOT to mess up their mission, they had his favourite food for lunch and really, nothing went wrong today. Everyone was actually well-behaved; even Loly, Menoly and Lilynette, who were usually up to some mischief. No screaming, no yelling, no crying. Absolutely none of that. Today was a perfectly normal and peaceful day.

The Cuarta Espada let out a sigh as he reached out to open the door to the Sexta's room, looking forward to retiring for the day, but he stopped when he heard a strange noise coming from inside. Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows. Did he just hear Grimmjow... groaning? What on Earth...?

His heart in his throat, and many questions ringing inside his mind, Ulquiorra slammed the door open.

"What is going on here?"

Surprised, Grimmjow immediately shoved something under the pillow, his face red as he fixed his pants. Ulquiorra noted that Grimmjow not only looked embarrassed, but also a bit guilty.

"What were you doing?" Ulquiorra questioned, approaching Grimmjow.

"N-nothing!"

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. "Do not lie."

"I'm not lying!" Grimmjow said defensively.

"Then why are you stuttering?"

"I didn't stutter! I told you, I'm not lying!"

"I saw you hide something under the pillow."

"Th-that was nothing!" Grimmjow moved closer to the pillow, as though to block it from Ulquiorra's view.

"Were you looking at pornography again?" Ulquiorra asked suspiciously. "You know I told you not to look at those things."

"I didn't, I swear!"

"Oh?" Ulquiorra said sceptically. "Then-" He grabbed the item from under the pillow before Grimmjow could stop him "-what is-" He opened the magazine, expecting to see picture after picture of naked models "-th- _What is this_?" Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "_Grimmjow_!"

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow incredulously. The Sexta Espada turned as red as a tomato.

"Grimmjow, you were masturbating to _this_?" Ulquiorra said in disbelief. He held out the magazine in front of Grimmjow. The magazine was filled with pictures of all things, _cats_. It was a magazine about CATS. Cute, furry, fluffy CATS. "Unbelievable."

Grimmjow groaned, covering his face in embarrassment.

* * *

**DIOR:** Uwaaa it has been so long since I've written GrimmUlqui! *hugs them both* I missed them! ;A; And I especially missed writing nonsense. I hope this didn't kill your brain... too much. Hehe. 8D Reviews are appreciated.


	17. Part 1: The Old Days

**Theme #17: The Old Days (PART ONE)**

_Written for Ulquiorra Cifer's birthday - 1__st__ December 2010_

_Pairing: **AIULQUI**, GrimmUlqui_

* * *

The emerald-eyed man, who sat in the corner of a quaint coffee shop, quietly turned over the page of the novel that he had just bought.

The man's name was Ulquiorra Cifer, and he was currently in disbelief over the fact that he had actually agreed to what his best friend, Nelliel, had been pressuring him to do for months.

You see, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, had this so called "brilliant" plan to get him out of his misery by setting him up on a blind date with a guy that she met at a party a few months ago. Apparently, she thought that this man was perfect for him, that he would be good for Ulquiorra; something that Ulquiorra highly doubted. After having her shove so many men, and a few women, in Ulquiorra's general direction and having to reject each and every one of them because they all had flaws that he could not overlook (one of the women was a gold digger...! What was Nelliel thinking?), Ulquiorra was getting a bit jaded.

But this time, she was so sure about the match, that she kept telling him that this man would make him forget about everything. It took her weeks to get him to agree to go on this blind date. Even then, Ulquiorra was not all that convinced that this man was "different". If he was so great, why on Earth was he still single? And no, Ulquiorra was not nitpicking... much.

Grimmjow this, Grimmjow that. That was all Ulquiorra kept hearing from her for these past few weeks.

_"Ulqui-chan~ There's this great guy I know~!"_

_"His name is Grimmjow, Ulqui-chan~!"_

_"Aren't you in the least bit interested in him?"_

_"But Grimmjow is so good-looking...!"_

_"And he is nice too. A bit loud, but he's really a great guy!"_

So much that Ulquiorra got fed up and said "yes" to the damned date.

Really, did she think that he was so fickle that he would immediately forget about Aizen Sousuke the moment another person walked into his life?

"... Hmph." Ulquiorra scowled slightly at the thought.

He turned over another page of the book; his attention was not on the words on the page, though.

-But then again, she was just looking out for him.

After all, things did not end so well between him and Sousuke.

He rubbed his temple, not wanting to remember how his last meeting with Sousuke went. Just thinking about it made his heart ache. There was no way he could forget the way Sousuke smirked at him, telling him that things were over between them because he had found someone new. He had told Ulquiorra this in a calm and composed manner; it was almost as if, no, he certainly did not care about Ulquiorra. Not anymore, anyway. And just like that, a three-year relationship went down the drain and Ulquiorra was cast aside in favour of that... that...

Ulquiorra squeezed his eyes shut.

Enough. No more. He did not want to think about that.

Even if Nelliel just wanted the best for him, but still... Still, he had been together with Sousuke for far too long for him to forget about him just like that.

For the past two and a half years, who was it that Ulquiorra had lived with?

Aizen Sousuke.

Every morning for the past two and a half years, Ulquiorra would wake up to see Sousuke lying right next to him, still naked and fast asleep. Sometimes, though, Ulquiorra would find that Sousuke was already wide-awake and smiling at him softly, as though he had been waiting for Ulquiorra to wake up. After greeting him with a "Good morning", he would give Sousuke a kiss on the cheek, or it would be the other way around.

Every night for the two and a half years, Ulquiorra would patiently wait for Sousuke to return home, since that man often worked till late. Once they had showered, they would slip into bed together and Sousuke would then pull Ulquiorra into his arms. They would whisper "Good night" to each other before drifting off to sleep. Even now, Ulquiorra remembered how comfortable he felt being in those arms.

And every day, for two and a half years, Ulquiorra Cifer and Aizen Sousuke would tell each other "I love you".

Of course, like every other couple, Ulquiorra and Sousuke had their ups and downs. They had their fair share of arguments, days when they refused to speak to each other until the other apologized, times when hurtful words were exchanged... Not everything was flowers and sunshine. There was rain, too. Just that... it got especially rainy towards the end.

Thinking back, all the good memories, it all felt like a dream, especially compared to what happened during the last time Ulquiorra saw Sousuke. And yet, Ulquiorra did not expect for things to end the way that they did. All those nights spent alone, those calls gone unanswered, those special smiles usually reserved only for Ulquiorra that grew less and less, the way Sousuke eventually stopped talking to him and if he did, it was in a dismissive or cold manner, the way how their entire relationship eventually became solely based on sex, and sex alone...

Ulquiorra really should have seen it coming, but he did not. He just thought that they were going through a rough patch. And really, even if he had known about it, it would not have made the blow any less painful.

A sad smile lifted at the edges of Ulquiorra's lips.

He really was a fool, wasn't he?

He was trash... pure trash. So deeply and madly in love that he just could not see, did not want to see, that things were going downhill. Where did things go wrong? Ulquiorra did not know. Things were so perfect and then, just... Ulquiorra did not even know how to finish that sentence. Maybe their relationship had simply run its course. Maybe Sousuke no longer found Ulquiorra interesting. Or maybe, things were not right from the beginning.

That was more likely. It certainly would explain all of those late nights...

But, as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck had told him before;_ "It's time to start fresh, Ulqui-chan~! Forget the old days, and start anew!"_

The tinkling sound of a bell could be heard as the door to the coffee shop was pushed open.

_Start anew, huh...?_

A male with striking blue hair dusted snow off his woollen hat before he looked around the cafe, as though searching for someone. As soon as his eyes landed on Ulquiorra, he grinned and made his way towards the emerald-eyed man.

"Hey," the man said, bringing Ulquiorra to attention. He stopped in front of the table Ulquiorra sat at, "Are you Nelliel's friend...?"

_Is it really possible to start anew?_

Ulquiorra put down his book. He then looked up at the man, and surveyed him, taking in his appearance. He tried not to show too much surprise upon seeing the crazy hair colour. So, this was the man that Nelliel wanted him to be with?_ I see that Nelliel has conveniently chosen not to mention his hair colour to me. That sly little wench._ It was so so blue. If not for Nelliel's vehement testimony that Grimmjow was a good guy, Ulquiorra would have thought that the man was a thug. _That colour cannot possibly be natural... _

"Yes, yes I am. And you are-"

"Grimmjow," the man finished Ulquiorra's sentence. He grinned once more and extended his towards Ulquiorra in the form of a handshake. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

_Jaegerjaquez, hm?_

Ulquiorra stood up and grasped his hand.

_Let's see just how great you are, Jaegerjaquez..._

"Ulquiorra Cifer."

_I'm not going to make things easy for you, though._

"Nice to meet ya, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow smiled.

The smile and the way he said it was so sincere, that Ulquiorra was taken aback for a moment. Sincerity. He had not seen that in awhile. He... liked it. Not realizing that he was staring, he blinked, trying to bring himself back to his senses. He squeezed Grimmjow's hand lightly, then shook it.

"Pleased to meet you too, Grimmjow."

And he, Ulquiorra, was being sincere as well.

_To a new beginning?_

* * *

**DIOR: **Only part one of the fic. Part two will be posted the next time I update! (: Only a short one for Ulqui's birthday OTL. It has been awhile since I've updated _Blue and Green_... Anyway, happy belated birthday to my fave ever anime/manga character, Ulquiorra, yeah! \o/ Reviews are appreciated.


	18. Part 2: Memory

**Theme #18: Memory (PART TWO)**

_Final part of Ulquiorra Cifer's birthday gift_

_Pairing: **GRIMMULQUI**, AiUlqui_

* * *

Memories.

Memories are things, moments, events, that are remembered. They are a part of everyone's lives. No one is without them. Every passing moment is a memory. It is just that some memories stand out more than others. Some that are more important, more meaningful, more happy, more melancholic, more bitter... It is these memories that stand out and remain, and the rest are buried and forgotten, lost under a sea of memories.

And Ulquiorra, like everyone else, has memories.

For a chunk of his life, the memories he had shared with Aizen Sousuke were the ones that stood out the most to him. Happy, sad, bitter... He remembered them all. He remembered the smiles, the kisses, the embraces, the words shared... At one point in time, Ulquiorra Cifer had treasured all of these memories. Whether Aizen Sousuke had treasured them, however, was an entirely different story. It was because of these memories that in the past, Ulquiorra sometimes found himself smiling, laughing, crying or angry. Not that it matters now anyway.

Because Ulquiorra now has new memories to replace the old ones.

About two years ago, his best friend, Nelliel had decided to set him up on a blind date with a man called Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

And Ulquiorra had to say, that he did not regret his decision to agree to go on that date.

Ever since he met Grimmjow, the weight in his heart lessened.

It was difficult at first, what with Ulquiorra being extremely trying just to test Grimmjow, to deter him. He would be sarcastic and cold on purpose. He would avoid physical intimacy. He did not spare Grimmjow any affection, not even a loving look. Or so he thought. Grimmjow must have seen through his facade, Ulquiorra must have slipped up somehow, maybe Grimmjow noticed those faint blushes that tend to spread across his cheeks whenever he touched him, even if it was a simple touch on the hand, maybe Nelliel said something to him - otherwise, why would Grimmjow even bother with someone with a supposed heart of stone?

_"Heh, Ulqui..." Grimmjow caressed the side of Ulquiorra's face as they stood on the doorstep of his house. "When can I see you again?"_

_Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at him, as though Grimmjow's very touch displeased him. He did not move away, though. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that? I hate it."_

_A chuckle. Caress. Grimmjow was smiling softly. It made Ulquiorra's heart beat fast. God forbid that Grimmjow ever know the way he makes him feel. _

_"But I like it," Grimmjow said._

_Traitorously, the skin on Ulquiorra's cheeks turned a light pink. _

_"Hmph," was Ulquiorra's only reply. That reply was accompanied with a scowl._

_"You're too cute." The hand that had been caressing his cheek fell, and tucked itself in the owner's jean pocket. "So I'll see you later?"_

_"No."_

_"Too damned cute." Grimmjow grinned. Before Ulquiorra could even react, the teal-haired man quickly snatched a kiss from him and bounded away, not wanting to get smacked upside the head like the last time he kissed Ulquiorra. It was a good thing, too, because he narrowly missed the swipe from Ulquiorra. He turned around to wave at him, still grinning infuriatingly. "I'll pick you up tomorrow night at 8! Night, Ulqui!"_

_Ulquiorra had his hand over his mouth where Grimmjow had kissed him. "You...! Idiot...!" Flushing, he intended to deliver more scathing words, but Grimmjow had already gotten into the car. "Tch..." When the car roared to life and drove away, Ulquiorra faced the door to his house and opened it, thankful that Grimmjow could not see the soft smile that had suddenly blossomed on his lips._

The more time that he spent with Grimmjow, the more the memories of Aizen Sousuke started to fade. Every moment spent with Grimmjow made those memories melt away. And as time passed, he thought less and less about the man he used to be with. With this, eventually, the emerald-eyed man let Grimmjow in. Another decision that Ulquiorra did not regret. When he did decide to let Grimmjow get close, he was not going to lie - he felt scared. And so, so vulnerable. It had been so long since he had let anyone see him for who he is, see his heart, see his everything.

Ulquiorra remembered how in the beginning, he and Grimmjow would often argue. And how, after all those arguments, came understanding. They still argued, of course; they are not perfect.

It is funny how things are much different now.

Now, it is with Grimmjow who Ulquiorra lives with. It is with Grimmjow who Ulquiorra shares kisses with. It is Grimmjow who Ulquiorra greets in the morning. It is Grimmjow who Ulquiorra looks forward to seeing. It is Grimmjow who he tells that he loves, every day. It is Grimmjow who he has given himself to.

Very, very different.

Their first time... Ulquiorra remembered it well. When they had had finally decided to do it, the vulnerability Ulquiorra felt increased ten-fold as he lay before Grimmjow, his body completely bare. He had shivered when Grimmjow ran his hands down his pale body, panted and whimpered when he teased him, and moaned when he pleasured him. As soon as it was over, Ulquiorra's fears and doubts had begun to trickle back, but Grimmjow quenched them. He had stayed by Ulquiorra's side, pulled him close and held him.

_"I love you, Ulqui." Grimmjow nuzzled his hair. "Get it?"_

It was at moments like that that makes Ulquiorra feel completely loved. After that night, Ulquiorra's insecurities had gone.

_"Yes..." Ulquiorra swallowed hard, trying to look as calm as possible though his heart was beating hard against his ribcage. Grimmjow's arms were still wrapped around his slender body, holding him close. "I..." he said. He tightened his hug on Grimmjow. "I love you too, Grimmjow."_

Ulquiorra sighed at the flood of memories that had flooded his mind, taking his gaze off the book he was reading. He chuckled. There was no way he was going to be able to finish reading this book if he was this way. He was so distracted that he did not even notice a teal-haired man sneaking up on him from behind. Emerald eyes scanned the park that he was at, and when Ulquiorra saw a familiar man with slicked back brown hair and equally brown eyes, he lifted his hand and waved at him in acknowledgement. The man, a bit startled that Ulquiorra was not upset, waved right back at him. Ulquiorra smiled and looked back down at the book he held in his hands to read where he last left off.

Only to have his vision turn black. Someone had pressed their hands over his eyes, covering them.

"Guess who," said a voice that Ulquiorra knew all too well.

"Grimmjow."

"Heh." The hands were removed, and Grimmjow pecked Ulquiorra on the lips. "Smart little cookie."

Ulquiorra could not help smiling. "But of course."

And now, Aizen Sousuke is nothing but a passing memory.

* * *

**DIOR:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter! I should be working on the latest chapter of _Happy Pet Pet_, but I'm kinda stuck (nearly done, though), so... I decided to finish this one off so that I can start on new prompts. Since I'm in a good mood, you may request a short story or drabble for_ Blue and Green_. If your request catches my eye, I will write it. I need practice. I'll prolly just pick one or two, so don't burn me if I don't write yours, kk? ^^; Reviews are appreciated.


	19. Study

**Theme #19: Study**

_Warning: CRACK._

* * *

"Hey, Cifer, Granz," Nnoitra greeted as he approached them. Both Ulquiorra and Szayel were seated at a table, sitting opposite one another. He noticed that though Szayel seemed excited about something, Ulquiorra, on the other hand, looked displeased. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Ulquiorra answered curtly.

"Yeah, right," Nnoitra sneered. Knowing that Szayel would be more likely to answer his questions, he stood behind the Octava and looked over his shoulder. In his hands, he held something that looked like a list. Nnoitra furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What's this?"

"A checklist," Szayel said.

_A fucking weird one at that_, Nnoitra thought as he scanned through the first part of the list. Loves fish, attracted to catnip, rough tongue... _What the heck is this list for?_

Noticing Nnoitra's confusion, Szayel explained, "I'm doing research on a fellow Espada."

"How does this have anything to do with Ulquiorra?"

"Plenty," Szayel answered airily. "Isn't that right, Ulquiorra?"

"I am only here because Aizen-sama insisted that I help you with your research." For once, Ulquiorra did not seem happy to be carrying out Aizen's orders. In fact, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, if the way he kept looking at anywhere but them was any indication. Nnoitra also noticed that Ulquiorra was tapping his fingers on the table nervously. What the heck was he so antsy about?

Nnoitra decided to stick around to find out. Might as well anyway. He did not have anything else to do. He plopped himself on a seat next to Szayel.

"Well? Are you gonna tell me what this research of yours is about?"

"We all know that Grimmjow's release form is... of the feline sort, right?" Szayel whispered to him. "And so was his Hollow form. So what I'm trying to find out now is whether Grimmjow has any other feline traits. I picked Ulquiorra because I know Grimmjow might just lie to me even if he's under Aizen-sama's orders. Even if his life depends on it. You know how sensitive he is about things like this."

It took Nnoitra all of his willpower not to laugh even though he badly wanted to. He did not want to give Ulquiorra a reason to kill him on the spot. And insulting Ulquiorra's lover was a good enough a reason for him. As much as Nnoitra loved fighting, he had a feeling this little project of Szayel's would turn out much more entertaining than a good, bloody battle.

"Oh... Aite," Nnoitra said with difficulty, his hand covering his mouth. His face was red from holding in his laughter. He earned a glare from Ulquiorra, which he ignored. "Got it."

_This will be interesting._

"Anyway..." Szayel flipped his hair over his shoulder and fixed his amber eyes on Ulquiorra. "Shall we begin?"

Ulquiorra merely pursed his lips before nodding stiffly.

"Good."

And so, the interview began. With each question that Szayel imposed on Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra grew more and more uneasy. The poor Cuarta kept fidgeting in his seat, but he answered all of the questions, just like he promised Aizen that he would. Unlike Ulquiorra, Szayel only got more and more happy with each answer Ulquiorra gave him. Apparently, the research was going the way he wanted it to.

"Does Jaegerjaquez enjoy eating fish?"

"Yes."

Szayel checked the box next to the sentence that said "Loves fish."

"Can he see well at night?"

"Yes."

_Check._

"Does he have a rough tongue?"

"His tongue does have a bit of a rough texture... Yes."

_Check._

"Does he have an attraction to catnip?"

Ulquiorra hesitated at this.

Szayel raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"... Yes." Ulquiorra hung his head at this, guilty. He looked downright miserable.

Nnoitra was roaring with laughter on the inside.

_Check, check, check._

Glad that he had decided to stay, Nnoitra chuckled as he scanned through the list to see what else Szayel was going to ask. When he got to the end of the list, though, he immediately stopped chuckling, and stared at the last item, his eyes wide. _The hell...?_ He glanced at Szayel, then at Ulquiorra. _There's no fucking way even Cifer, under Aizen-sama's orders, is gonna answer that question if Granz is gonna ask him straight, just like he has been doing since just now._ Unable to stop himself, he interrupted Szayel and spoke, ignoring the scowl he received from the Octava;

"Does it hurt _a lot _when you have sex with Jaegerjaquez?"

"Wha-" Ulquiorra stared at him, his pale cheeks starting to turn pink. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Answer the question."

Silence.

With each second that passed, the blush on Ulquiorra's face steadily grew darker.

"Oi."

"..."

"Cifer."

"..."

"Answer the fucking question."

".."

"CIFER."

"..."

"ANSWER THE DAMNED QUESTION BEFORE I TELL ON YOU TO AIZEN-SAMA."

It was slight, but Ulquiorra nodded before looking away, his cheeks flaming.

Nnoitra shuddered.

_Eww. That's just nasty._

"I think you can check that last one off the list," Nnoitra whispered to Szayel.

Szayel nodded numbly as he put a tick in the box next to the sentence that said "Has a barbed, retractable penis".

He shuddered as well.

* * *

**DIOR:** ... I'm sorry. I just HAD TO. That last one is a real trait that cats have. Whether Nnoitra's conclusion is correct or not, that's up to you to decide - since he did jump to a conclusion without properly asking Ulqui. Because really, I don't even want to think about it (even though I wrote this fic, haha xD). To everyone who reviewed the last chapter, thank you! I just got back from a trip and was surprised with the amount of requests waiting for me. I'll take a look at all of them once I've finished editing the last chapter of _Happy Pet Pet_. Requests are open till, well, I've done 100 prompts. So, 81 more to go. Reviews are appreciated.

I hope I didn't scar anyone... too badly. xD;;


	20. Sacrifice

**Theme #20: Sacrifice**

_For HannahGee13_

_Pairings: **GRIMMULQUI**, AiUlqui_

* * *

_One, two, three, four._

Four waves of reiatsu.

This was Aizen Sousuke's way of summoning his one and only Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer. Whenever Aizen emitted his reiatsu this way, Ulquiorra knew that he would have to drop whatever he was doing in order to tend to his master's wishes, whatever they may be.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, like the rest of the Arrancars, knew exactly what was going on between Aizen and Ulquiorra behind closed doors. It was hard not to miss the cries, the moans, the whimpers, and the sound of skin slapping against skin. If that was not enough of an indication, then the hickeys and bruises marring white skin that were present as a result of Aizen and Ulquiorra's meetings were. Not allowed to heal himself, Ulquiorra was made to walk around with the marks Aizen made.

Why Aizen did not allow Ulquiorra to heal himself after each and every one of their sessions, one can only speculate. Perhaps it was to humiliate Ulquiorra. Perhaps Aizen liked seeing the wounds. Perhaps it made him feel powerful to have degraded such a strong and beautiful being. Or perhaps it was a sign of possession. Again, one can only speculate.

Whenever Ulquiorra returned to their room, skin and uniform covered with blood and sweat, it drove Grimmjow crazy. He hated seeing the marks. He hated seeing the limp Ulquiorra walked with. He hated seeing the pain that Ulquiorra allowed to cross emerald eyes whenever the Cuatro thought Grimmjow was not looking. He hated that Ulquiorra always pretended that everything was okay when they were clearly not. He hated Ulquiorra's loyalty towards Aizen even after what the man had done to him. He hated the tears that dampened the pillow Ulquiorra laid his head upon every night. He hated seeing Ulquiorra like this. He hated what was being done to what was _his, _to the person he loved.

He_ hated_ all of it.

And he had made it perfectly clear to Ulquiorra that it made his blood boil. That Ulquiorra could accept the fucked up treatment Aizen gave him without even retaliating. He had lost count of the number of rows, cold wars and tears that was a result of all the stress from this situation. Ulquiorra, torn between his loyalty for Aizen and his hate for what the man was doing to him, Grimmjow, who just hated all of it and did not hesitate to voice his feelings about it, and the layer upon layer of complicated reasons that made it impossible for either one of them to do anything about the situation... It was the perfect recipe for a fight. It was all very frustrating for the both of them.

The frustration was present in each and every day they lived ever since Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had gotten into a relationship. And today was no different.

_Fucking sick bastard_, Grimmjow thought angrily as he peeled Ulquiorra's jacket off the Cuatro, revealing more marks that Aizen had made - a result of Ulquiorra's most recent meeting with the man. The blood had not even begun to dry yet. "That bastard should burn in hell," he growled.

But what could he do about it? Even though Ulquiorra hated the situation as much as he did... Any act of rebellion from either him or Ulquiorra would only mean death.

Ulquiorra cast his gaze over at him, silent, for a moment.

"You shouldn't be saying that about Aizen-sama, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra finally said.

"Wha- I can't believe you!" Grimmjow crumpled up the jacket and tossed it over to the corner. "Every fucking time he does this to you, you still act like this! Even going as far as calling him Aizen-_sama_." Anger dripped in every word he uttered, and venom oozed out of the final word he said.

"He is our lord, Grimmjow. We must respect him."

"You don't need to respect someone like _him_," Grimmjow shot back.

Ulquiorra made no reply to this, seemingly having no answer to justify his reason for still respecting Aizen. So instead, he sighed, not wanting to get into another argument, kissed Grimmjow on the cheek, then lay down on the bed tiredly, wishing to go to sleep. "Go to sleep, Grimmjow," he murmured. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, Ulquiorra closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep, worn out.

"Tch..."

Grimmjow glared at Ulquiorra's sleeping form, angry, but after awhile, the glare faded and his expression softened to a sad one. _Ulquiorra_... Grimmjow reached out and caressed the pale Arrancar's cheek, careful not to touch any of his wounds. On Ulquiorra's cheek was a blue-black bruise, which had been there for about two days now. And if Grimmjow were to look further down, he would surely see the rest of Aizen's work again. He did not, though. Seeing them made his heart clench.

Caress.

"I'm sorry..."

If there was anything that he hated more than Aizen, Grimmjow would have to say that it was definitely the fact that he could not do anything to make this better.

For a long time, Grimmjow lay by Ulquiorra's side, holding him, caressing him. It was only when he felt the familiar four waves of reiatsu that the Sexta sat up, scowling.

_What, again...?_

He turned his head, expecting to see Ulquiorra wake up immediately like he usually did whenever the Cuatro sensed Aizen calling him, but Ulquiorra did not move. Not even an inch. Ulquiorra was still fast asleep. _Huh_... Again, came the four waves of reiatsu, but Ulquiorra still did not awaken. Grimmjow nearly woke Ulquiorra up himself when he stopped himself, thinking better of it. No... he was not going to let Ulquiorra go to see Aizen tonight.

Another four waves. It seemed that Aizen was getting impatient. Grimmjow's scowl deepened.

_Like fuck am I gonna let Ulqui go see you tonight, bastard_.

Having made his decision, Grimmjow stood up and pulled on his jacket, getting ready to step out of the room. With that done, he leant down and kissed the still sleeping Ulquiorra on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, Ulqui," he murmured. "I'll be back in a bit."

Those words said, Grimmjow stood up again and gazed down at his lover sadly for a moment before turning on his heel.

Ulquiorra Cifer continued to sleep soundly even as Grimmjow left the room to take his place for Aizen.

* * *

**DIOR:** Wrote this when I was braindead... Still kind of am. I've been sick a lot lately. X_X Prompt was by HannahGee13. Going to work on _Just Like a Girl_ after this. Reviews are appreciated.


	21. Part 1: Fashion

**Theme #21: Fashion**

_For Haru Miku_

* * *

It was Ulquiorra Cifer's first day working as a model. He should be happy, right? Especially since he was a struggling college student who needed money. Most people would have been thrilled to get such an opportunity. But, oh, Ulquiorra was different. He was not happy about it. Not in the least. You see, Ulquiorra did not come here by choice. His dream was to become a doctor, so doing something as stupid - at least, in his opinion - as posing for cameras was not his cup of tea. He would have declined the offer if not for his mother, who was there at the time. The moment the agent had given him the offer, his mother jumped at the opportunity and immediately said that Ulquiorra would do it before he could reject.

Now, he did not mind doing this so much since there was money involved. The money would most certainly come in handy. However, he had his limits.

He could tolerate posing for pictures, no problem. He could tolerate being constantly blinded by the flashes from the camera. He could tolerate wearing make-up - they had drawn two green lines running down from the bottom of his eyes to his jaw, applied black lipstick on his upper lip and made him look so deathly pale that he looked more "emo" than usual. He could even tolerate wearing the ridiculously heavy clothes they had to wear for the shoot - seriously, leather in this summer heat? Honestly... - never mind the fact that he was practically sweltering under his leather jacket, jeans and leather boots. He could take all of that, no problemo, mmhmm.

What was really pushing his patience, though, was the model that he was made to do this shoot with. The model was apparently new to this as well, though he had done a few other shoots before this. Ulquiorra had not said anything to this man other than a quick "Hello" before the shoot began, and really, the only thing he knew about the man was that his name was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. But even without knowing anything about him besides his name, even without speaking more than a single word to him, Ulquiorra was already feeling agitated with him.

Why?

Why, it was because Grimmjow had taken it upon himself to give Ulquiorra a massage to help the raven-haired man relax.

How?

Oh, by groping and squeezing Ulquiorra's ass whenever the photographer, Suì-Fēng, happened to look away.

First day on the job and he was already getting sexually harassed.

And the worse part was that whenever it happened, and whenever Ulquiorra attempted to hit Grimmjow for doing it, Suì-Fēng would scream at Ulquiorra to "quit fooling around" and that "if you try to hit him again, you're fired!" followed by "I don't care what you have to say, just _smile_!".

Ulquiorra curled his fingers into the material of his jeans, his smile extremely strained when he felt Grimmjow's hand caress his hip. The smile on Grimmjow's face, unlike Ulquiorra's, was not strained at all. The man was practically grinning, happy that the situation was in his favour. Bastard.

_Relax, Ulquiorra, relax. This is nothing. You probably wouldn't see him again anyway..._

_Besides, once you become a doctor, you can say goodbye to doing stupid things like this, _Ulquiorra kept telling himself over and over.

While Grimmjow was enjoying himself since the shoot had begun, poor Ulquiorra was having an extremely difficult time. Suì-Fēng, who on top of scolding Ulquiorra multiple times for trying to hit Grimmjow, was not pleased with Ulquiorra's forced smiles, kept yelling at him, comparing him to Grimmjow.

"Follow Mr. Jaegerjaquez's example, Mr. Cifer!" she barked, frustrated. "See how relaxed he is? See his smile? He's a natural! Follow him!"

"I'm sorry, Ms Suì-Fēng," Ulquiorra apologized. "But-"

"No buts!" she retorted, before getting behind the camera again. "Just smile!"

Grimmjow chuckled, then squeezed Ulquiorra's ass once more.

Ulquiorra was sorely tempted to kick him.

After that, Ulquiorra gave up, and simply let Grimmjow do what he wanted. And so, the shoot carried on, with Ulquiorra being groped, and yelled at. Each time he got groped by Grimmjow, Ulquiorra had to mentally tell himself to "calm down and ignore it" over and over like a mantra.

And this method seemed to work until towards the end of the shoot, when Grimmjow had suddenly decided to dip his hand into Ulquiorra's jeans and rest it on Ulquiorra's ass, making the man's eyes widen with shock.

"Hey," a voice murmured into Ulquiorra's ear when Suì-Fēng ordered for the crew to move the lights around.

Ulquiorra, whose heart was pounding against his chest, and who was still with shock, did not answer. He merely sat still, staring ahead.

But in spite of the lack of response, Grimmjow continued anyway, "You're pretty cute."

"..."

"And sexy."

"..."

Grimmjow lips brushed against Ulquiorra's earlobe as he spoke. "And hot as hell, too."

Ulquiorra tightened his fists on his lap.

"Anyway... wanna go have dinner tonight?" Grimmjow said casually, pleased that his modelling partner was being so submissive right now. With that last sentence said, he gave Ulquiorra's ass a particularly hard squeeze.

_That_ made Ulquiorra snap out of it.

_Of all the nerve-!_

Angered, Ulquiorra yanked Grimmjow's hand out of his jeans, and stood up, breathing hard. He glared at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow just kept smirking at him infuriatingly. "So, you wanna go now? You- OW-!"

Ulquiorra had pulled his fist back and punched Grimmjow in the nose, the fact that a model's face is one of their most prized assets, be damned. To his satisfaction, he had felt Grimmjow's nose break under his fingers. Blood gushed out of Grimmjow nose, and dripped down his shirt, and really? Ulquiorra did not care one bit. Not a single jot.

Suì-Fēng, who had seen what had happened, was not happy.

"Mr. Cifer!" she yelled. "What are you doing to Mr Jaegerjaquez-"

Ulquiorra just gave her a withering look, making her fall silent, before storming out of the studio.

Fuck modelling and the money. He was going to become a doctor.

"Ow, ow, ow." Grimmjow winced, slight tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he tried to staunch the flow of blood from his nose. That was the first time that he had ever been punched by someone he hit on, so it took by him surprise. As Suì-Fēng rushed to him to make sure that he was alright, Grimmjow stared after the raven-haired male, who was already at the entrance. Ulquiorra cast one look back at him, gave him a glare so full of hate that it would have killed any lesser man, then walked out of the studio, slamming the door behind him. The sound of the door being slammed shut filled the entire studio.

Fuck fucking Cifer. Grimmjow was going to_ marry_ him.

* * *

**DIOR:** I don't know how many times I've rewritten this one... *is fussy OTL* xD Anyway, requests are still open. You can make as many requests as you want, but as I have said before, whether I decide to fulfill them is entirely up to me. There will be no promises that I'll write them all, but I will try. Also, it doesn't matter how many times the same request is sent,** I will give all requests the same consideration** ^^ Lastly, I have made an AiUlqui short collection called _Solitary_. So if any of you like AiUlqui, you can make requests there as well.

Reviews are loved as always. Thank you so much for your support, everyone!


	22. Part 2: Eventually

**Theme #22: Eventually (PART TWO)**

_For c. cristina, who requested for a sequel to "Fashion"_

* * *

Momo Hinamori was waiting outside the studio like the doting mother she was when Ulquiorra had stormed out of it, a rare look of anger on his face. She did not even get a chance to speak to him before he took his clothes from her and promptly went into the toilet to change. She sighed. Just from this, she already knew that the shoot did not go well.

Right now, she was waiting for him to finish changing. So much for wanting her son to get more of a social life than he did now. She was sorely tempted to go and reason with her son when barely a minute after Ulquiorra had entered the toilet, the door to the studio was slammed open, causing Hinamori to jump in her seat from surprise.

The open door revealed a handsome, if not slightly dishevelled and bloodied, blue-haired male. But he seemed to care not about the blood that stained his shirt, or the blood flowing from his nose that he was trying to staunch with his sleeve, as he tried to search for something, or someone, his cerulean eyes scanning the room that he was in fervently. Even with his face half covered with his arm, even if he did look a bit crazed, Hinamori could feel her heart begin to pound hard against her chest and she unconsciously ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to look tidier.

My goodness, she could not believe her luck in being able to see the new, famous model himself, battered or not.

Just thinking about it was making her feel giddy.

Upon spotting her, the man immediately made his way towards her.

"Hey, I need to ask ya something," he said, his words a bit hard to make out due to his injury. "But did you happen to see a really emo looking guy come by here?"

Hinamori blinked, completely nonplussed. "Emo?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He rubbed his nose, getting more blood on his sleeve. "He has a face like a doll. Huge ass green eyes, messy black hair, pale skin... He had make-up on too. Two green lines running down his face... Slender. A bit on the short side. Well, shorter than me, anyway. And he looks _really_ feminine. Like a girl."

And that, was how when Ulquiorra emerged from the toilet, ready to go home, only to see his mother chatting with the last person on Earth that he wanted to see.

"Oh, Ulqui!" Hinamori greeted upon seeing Ulquiorra. "Why didn't you tell me that you're friends with the famous Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?"

"I..." Ulquiorra glanced from his mother, who was in ecstasy, then at Grimmjow, who was practically radiating an air of smugness. He was at a loss for words.

"This is fantastic, Ulqui!" Hinamori gushed, ignoring the stunned look on her son's face. "Your dad will be so happy to see you making more friends! We've been so worried - you're always so lonely! And since you two are so close, I've invited Mr. Jaegerjaquez over for dinner!"

Though Ulquiorra could not see the bottom part of Grimmjow's face due to his arm covering it, Ulquiorra could tell that a grin was forming lazily on Grimmjow's lips. "Hey, babe," Grimmjow said. "Nice to see ya again."

And that, was how Ulquiorra's personal hell began.

It was also how Ulquiorra ended up spending more time than he would have liked with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez – though personally, he would have liked to not spend time with Grimmjow _at all_ – and having to tolerate the man and his advances since his mother, Hinamori, seemed to dote on him. Ulquiorra had lost count of the number of times Grimmjow had come over to his house, took him out, visited him at his college, flirted with him, lavished him with gifts – all of which he did not bother to open... but did not bother to throw away either - and just plain annoyed the heck out of him.

Ulquiorra likened Grimmjow to something unpleasant that was stuck to the sole of his shoe - he insisted on following Ulquiorra everywhere.

If Ulquiorra needed to go somewhere, Grimmjow would insist on following him, saying that he needed to protect his "princess" at all times. If Ulquiorra was hungry, all he had to do was to open his mouth and Grimmjow would buy something for him. If Ulquiorra needed to wake up early, heck, no problem, Grimmjow would just nip on over to Ulquiorra's place and wake him up by himself – and if Ulquiorra's door was locked, Grimmjow would bang on his door so loudly that it would wake up the entire neighbourhood. If Ulquiorra ever felt lonely at night, hey, Grimmjow would call his cellphone again and again until Ulquiorra answered the call, never mind the fact that Cifer needed his sleep. If Ulquiorra needed transport to go to back home, never fear, for Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez would come to the rescue in a limo, not caring at all that people would stare. If Ulquiorra were to ever find a situation where everyone was too silent, Grimmjow would talk his ears off, and if Ulquiorra found the situation too noisy, Grimmjow would _still_ talk his ears off. If Ulquiorra even _felt_ like listening to some music, ohoho, worry not, for Grimmjow himself would make it his mission to serenade to Ulquiorra, whether or not they were in public.

... If there was such a thing as hell, this was it.

He had been in hell for months, and it did not seem like he would be getting out anytime soon.

It was only by a miracle that Ulquiorra managed to stay sane even after all the things Grimmjow had put him through. Though he had to say, perhaps all those times Ulquiorra had hit Grimmjow for groping or violating him in any way certainly helped. But even then, it took Ulquiorra all the patience he had not to murder the man.

And now, with Grimmjow over for dinner, it was the same. Ulquiorra's patience was hanging by a thread, like it usually was as of days of late. The raven-haired teen plainly ignored Grimmjow, who was smirking at him, as he ate, keeping his gaze on his plate of food. His mother was talking to Grimmjow enthusiastically, while his father, Aizen, continued to look amused at the way Ulquiorra acted around Grimmjow. Apparently, Aizen found Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's antics highly entertaining. Funny, even.

Yes... Very funny. Ha ha ha. Can you see Ulquiorra laugh? I think not.

Unable to take being in Grimmjow's presence anymore, Ulquiorra stood up. "Excuse me."

Ulquiorra thought that he would be able to take a breather from Grimmjow in the kitchen, but he was wrong – Grimmjow followed him.

Ulquiorra whirled on him and hissed, poking him in the chest. "Will you _please_ go away?"

"No way, Beautiful." Grimmjow grinned, and promptly received a glare from the shorter man.

"Ugh. You are hopeless."

"Oh, come on now, don't be like that," Grimmjow said, reaching out to touch Ulquiorra on the cheek, but stopped halfway. He winced. "Ow."

Ulquiorra's lips almost curled into a smile at that. Almost. It seemed that Grimmjow's arm was still sore from when Ulquiorra had punched the model for groping him this morning. And from the way Grimmjow was limping earlier, he was still hurting from the time Ulquiorra had kicked him in the shin that afternoon.

The reason for it?

Grimmjow had suddenly walked into one of Ulquiorra's classes and up and kissed him in front of everyone. This, of course, had earned Grimmjow a hard kick.

In fact, if one were to look at Grimmjow, they would notice that he was a bit of a train wreck what with the numerous injuries dotting him here and there. He had been punched multiple times in the nose. Sometimes, he would sport a black eye, or a split lip. Seeing bruises on him was now a normalcy, whether the bruises were on his arms, abdomen, or legs. There was one time he had sported a particularly nasty looking bruise on his cheek. Usually, wounds or broken bones would accompany these bruises. All of these injuries were, of course, courtesy of Ulquiorra Cifer.

What? Grimmjow deserved them. Every single one of them.

None of these injuries seemed to dampen Grimmjow's spirits, though, much to Ulquiorra's chagrin. If anything, Grimmjow was still as optimistic as ever.

But since Grimmjow had been on particularly good behaviour lately, aside from the occurrences today in the morning and afternoon, he only had a bruise on his arm, another on his leg, and a few cuts here and there.

"Hey..." Grimmjow said, noticing the look on Ulquiorra's face. "It ain't nice to laugh at someone who's in pain."

"It is when that person is you," Ulquiorra retorted.

"Don't be mean," Grimmjow said, placing his hands on Ulquiorra's waist and pulling him close. "I know you like me."

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I'm not joking," the model said. He leaned in close and murmured into Ulquiorra's ear, his lips brushing against the raven-haired man's earlobe lightly as he spoke, "I've seen the way you look at me."

A shiver ran through Ulquiorra's body at that. He scoffed, but otherwise, made no attempt to pull away.

"You mean the way I look at you in disgust?" he said icily, ignoring the way his heart had begun to beat faster.

"No." Taking advantage of the fact that Ulquiorra was not trying to hit him, Grimmjow kissed the spot right below Ulquiorra's ear. "I mean the way you look at me like you want me."

Ulquiorra stiffened. "I don't remember ever doing something like that. You're delusional."

"Come on, babe..." He pulled Ulquiorra even closer, so close that their bodies were almost flush together. "You say you hate me, but you've never told me to leave you alone. And all those gifts I've bought for you? ("I've never even opened them-" Ulquiorra had begun to say) If you hated me, you would have thrown them away, but you didn't, did you?" He nuzzled Ulquiorra's neck, Grimmjow's hands sliding from Cifer's waist to his hips. "You've never outright rejected me either, ya know. Rolling your eyes and telling me to keep quiet don't count as answers. Nor does hitting me. I want real answers, Ulqui. A 'yes' or a 'no', and so far, you've not given me either one."

The raven-haired man did nothing. He remained silent, taking in Grimmjow's words.

"Don't think I don't know, Ulqui." Grimmjow's hands slid lower, leaving Ulquiorra's hips, coming to rest right on Cifer's ass. "Don't think I don't know."

"..."

He squeezed Ulquiorra's ass.

And that was when Aizen and Hinamori heard Grimmjow yell out in pain – "ARGH!" - and saw Ulquiorra storm out of the kitchen, flustered, his cheeks pink.

"Ulquiorra!" Hinamori exclaimed, but Ulquiorra had already pulled on a jacket and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Aizen merely raised an eyebrow, then drank his tea, not bothered by this scene in the least. Worried, Hinamori rushed to the kitchen, and found Grimmjow lying on the floor, clutching his stomach, his face twisted in pain.

"Mr. Jaegerjaquez!" Hinamori tried to help him sit up. "Are you okay? I'll have to scold Ulquiorra later! And after all the times I told him to stop hitting you..."

"I'm okay, I'm okay. There's no need for that," Grimmjow wheezed, still clutching at his stomach. He felt his abdomen, as though checking for more injuries, then gave a grin in spite of his pain. "Hey... no wounds... and he didn't break any bones this time..." His face seemed to glow with happiness at this revelation. "... I think he's warming up to me."

And he fainted.

* * *

**DIOR:** Actually, a lot of others requested a sequel for "Fashion", just that c. cristina was the first one. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this one! I know I had a lot of fun writing it. Poor Grimmjow. And yes, even after all that, he's _still_ determined to marry Ulquiorra. xD

Oh, and yes, you _can_ request sequels, BUT if you want to request one, request it before I move on to write a new short story, yeah? Otherwise, it would get a bit confusing. And I'm not just talking about this short story, but any other ones I'll write in the future. But as always, whether I fulfill the request or not is up to me. Reviews are appreciated.


	23. Part 3: Confrontation

**Theme #23: Confrontation (PART THREE)**

_For Maru de Kusanagi, who requested for a sequel to "Eventually"_

* * *

Ulquiorra had done it.

He had finally done it.

He had made Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez crack.

And it felt good.

So, so good.

"_Ulqui..." Grimmjow purred against Ulquiorra's neck, his lips brushing against pale skin gently as he spoke. "You haven't given me an answer yet."_

_The tip of Ulquiorra's pencil snapped, nearly creating a hole in the paper he was writing on. An answer? Ulquiorra's temple throbbed. Just how much longer was Grimmjow going to bug him about that...?_

"_An answer?" Ulquiorra said, irritated that Grimmjow had interrupted his study time yet again. Exams were near, and he had no time for this nonsense. "Well, here's your answer." Ulquiorra wrote another sentence on the paper, not even bothering to look up at Grimmjow. "The answer is 'no'. Now, leave me alone."_

Ever since he had given Grimmjow his answer on whether or not he liked the model, he had not seen the man, nor did Grimmjow make an attempt to look for him.

This feeling... It felt oddly peaceful. Something that Ulquiorra had not experienced in a really, really long time, and he welcomed it.

He had not felt more happy than he did at this very moment.

Now, with Grimmjow out of the picture, Ulquiorra was able to do what he wanted without having something big, blue and annoying trailing after him.

With no Grimmjow around, he did not have to tolerate being called "princess" all the time. He was able to wake up by using an alarm clock like any other normal person, instead of having a nutbag bang on his door so loudly that it would wake up the entire neighbourhood. He was able to enjoy eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. He was able to drive back home like he had always done without suddenly being escorted to a limousine - this was horrible because it meant that he had to spend time with Grimmjow. He was able to get dressed without a certain someone potentially busting into his room. He was able to appreciate silences without having to listen to someone sing horribly. He was able to_ think_ without having to listen to someone babble incessantly. He was able to go to the toilet alone. He was able to study without interruption. He was able to eat in peace. He was able to sit through class without having someone suddenly walk in and kiss him. He was able to freaking live without the fear of having someone grope him during his every fucking moment of living.

No more teasing. No more chatting pointlessly. No more smiles. No more touches. No more hugs. No more kisses. No more questions. No more of the words "I love you".

No more...

Ulquiorra's shoulders sagged ever so slightly.

He was able...

He was able...

Ulquiorra let his head sink onto the palms of his hands.

He was finally able to be alone.

"Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra did not move from where he sat. He did, however, acknowledge her. "Yes, mom?"

He heard soft footsteps approach him before a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his slender frame. "My little baby..." Hinamori cooed as she stroked raven tresses.

Ulquiorra groaned inwardly. "Mother..."

Hinamori ignored that, though. She continued to stroke his hair, knowing that even though he protested against it, it did soothe him. "You miss him, don't you?" she said gently.

_Oh, no... Not this talk again..._

Ulquiorra had had just about enough of his mother insisting that he missed Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, of all people. The mere thought was ludicrous. She really ought to get her head out of the clouds once in awhile.

"No."

Why on Earth would he even care about that stupid man, anyway? That man harassed him twenty-four seven! Being rid of him was a relief!

"Then why are you so miserable?"

And yet... he could not forget the way Grimmjow had looked when Ulquiorra rejected him.

"Because I'm stressed over tomorrow's exam."

Grimmjow had looked positively and utterly... _crushed_.

"Ulquiorra. Don't lie to me."

And Ulquiorra, in turn, had felt a stab at his heart.

"I'm not lying."

Upon seeing the look on Grimmjow's face, Ulquiorra had wanted to take those words back.

"Ulquiorra."

But he did not.

"..."

He was simply too proud to.

"Look at me."

Ulquiorra lifted his head to look at his mother.

... Only to be met with the most horrifying smile that had ever adorned his mother's usually kind face.

"Ulquiorra," Hinamori said, smiling. "I think that it's about time you paid someone a visit."

And that, was how Ulquiorra found himself, about an hour later, in the car with his parents, the car parked right in front of Grimmjow's home.

"Here we are..." Hinamori said, looking _sincerely_ cheerful. "This should be Mr. Jaegerjaquez's home. Now, go in and say 'hi' to him, alright? Remember to apologize."

"But, mom..." Ulquiorra began.

"Sousuke," Hinamori said.

"Hm," Aizen said absentmindedly. "Listen to your mother, Ulquiorra."

"Well, that's settled, then." Hinamori reached over and opened the door for a still-reluctant Ulquiorra. "Have a nice talk with Mr. Jaegerjaquez, sweetie." She pushed him out of the car, nearly sending him face-first to the pavement had he not caught his balance at the very last minute. "And no coming back home till you've apologized to him." It was amazing how she was able to say all of that with a smile.

Ulquiorra did not even have the chance to turn around and tell his mother to reconsider before he heard the engine roar to life and the tires screech upon the road as the car sped away.

"Tch..."

He stared at the front door of Grimmjow's house sourly. Stupid door of a stupid house belonging to a stupid man. It was only when after a few minutes ticked past that Ulquiorra started walking, bringing one foot in front of the other, moving himself forward to Grimmjow's doorstep. The journey to Jaegerjaquez's doorstep was short, but for Ulquiorra to actually bring himself to _press_ the doorbell was an entirely different story. Ulquiorra must have spent a full thirty minutes staring at the doorbell before he finally scolded himself for being so uncharacteristically nervous. He must have looked like a blooming idiot standing there just staring. The neighbours seemed to think so as well since some of them sent strange looks his way.

_This is ridiculous_, Ulquiorra scorned, ignoring the way his heart was beating hard against his ribcage. _This is just Jaegerjaquez. All I have to do is apologize to him and this will be over_.

Of course, the thought of running away had occurred to him. He could always lie and say that he _did_ apologize to Grimmjow, but there was no fooling his parents, so that thought was immediately dashed away. He could just picture the look his mother would give him, and then the lecture that he would inevitably face if he were to even try such a trick. She would send him on a guilt trip by acting disappointed, and Ulquiorra, being the son that he was, would feel guilty, and-

_Of all the ridiculous-_

Ulquiorra jabbed the doorbell with his finger to get this over with.

_I will just apologize to him, and then leave_, Ulquiorra thought, scowling, as he heard footsteps approach from behind the door. _No more than that. I won't even give him time to speak. And if he even tries to touch me, I will make him regret it. Just because I'm going to apologize to him doesn't by any means mean that I want to become friends with that-_

But as soon as the door was opened, revealing Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, all malicious thoughts flew out of Ulquiorra's head.

Instead of going with his initial plan of immediately apologizing to Grimmjow before he could even open his mouth to greet Ulquiorra-

"Wha- oi- what the...!"

-Ulquiorra had quickly hugged Grimmjow, nearly knocking the man over, and pressed his face against the man's chest.

"... Ulquiorra...?" Grimmjow sounded bewildered.

No answer.

"Hey..." he tried once more.

Ulquiorra tightened his hold on him.

Now, this was something that did not happen often, if at all. This was the first time Ulquiorra had hugged him, so it came as a surprise to him, really, especially since Ulquiorra had plainly said before that he did not want to see Grimmjow again. Imagine, just minutes ago the model was moping in his house, contemplating on breaking out a couple of bottles of beer just to forget about what had happened, when right now, he could feel his heart flutter. Grimmjow looked down, and saw that Ulquiorra had not moved at all – he was still hugging Grimmjow tightly, his face still pressed against the model's blue shirt. It took Grimmjow several moments before he chuckled, finally understanding.

"Oi... It has only been a day since we've seen each other."

"... Keep quiet," came Ulquiorra's muffled reply.

Ulquiorra could feel the blush on his face deepen even more as he felt Grimmjow caress his hair. As embarrassing as it was, being away from Grimmjow, even if it was just a day, felt like _ages_.

When he felt that he was finally able to look at Grimmjow without going speechless, Ulquiorra pulled his face from the confines of Grimmjow's chest and looked up at him.

"... I missed you," he admitted.

If Grimmjow was surprised about Ulquiorra hugging him, then he was shocked by this little confession.

His eyes widened. Then, he smiled. "I missed you too, Ulqui."

If Grimmjow was shocked by the confession, then what happened next must have given him a heart attack.

Ulquiorra stood up on tip-toes, and kissed him on the cheek. The moment Ulquiorra did that, Grimmjow's eyes widened even more, and a deep blush spread across his cheeks.

"You... you kissed me..." Grimmjow said faintly. He grinned, looking extremely happy. "You kissed me..."

Ulquiorra would have reprimanded Grimmjow for being so silly if not for the added weight that suddenly engulfed his frame.

"Grimmjow...!"

Ulquiorra had to catch Grimmjow in his arms before the man could hit the ground.

"What on Earth..." Ulquiorra said, as he held the man, examining him. When he realized what had happened, he had to refrain with _a lot_ of difficulty_ not_ to smack his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Of all the... You idiot..."

He could not believe it.

Grimmjow had fainted.

Again.

And Ulquiorra did not even get the chance to apologize to him.

"Idiot..."

As expected of his idiot.

* * *

**DIOR:** ... Yes, Grimmjow fainted from just that. xD Anyway, this is the last of this mini-series. For the next story, I'm going to write something else. A big thank you to everyone that has reviewed the previous chapter(s) ^^ Oh, and, university has begun again for me, so updates will be erratic, if any at all. Sigh. Back to studying. Can't wait for my break in June (or is it July? *is forgetful OTL*). And as of last month, I'm now 20 years old. Double sigh. x'D Reviews are appreciated.


	24. Keeping a Secret

**Theme #24: Keeping a Secret**

_For Lady Akribos-san_

_Happy belated Birthday!_

* * *

If one were to walk down the halls of Las Noches, one would see nothing, but endless white walls, and hear nothing, but a heavy silence. It was so quiet that if a pin were to drop to the floor, the noise that it would make would be incredibly clear. Occasionally, though, one would be able to hear the sound of a poor soul being tortured emit from the laboratory of Szayel Aporro Granz. Then, there were times where one would be able to hear the sound of Arrancars arguing with each other, and if the argument were to escalate, hear the sounds of swords clashing, of bodies hitting the wall, breaking it, of battle cries... These occurrences, however, were few and far between as Aizen Sousuke liked to maintain silence in Las Noches, even though he knew that most of the Arrancars did not get along with each other.

Today, however, there was none of the sounds mentioned above.

Right down the hall, to the left, where the rooms of the Espada were located... behind the door with the painted gothic number six on it... came the sounds of blankets rustling... and of pants and moans.

The sounds of pleasure, and if one were to listen very carefully, pain.

"A-ah..."

Clothes were strewn on the floor from the owners' haste to remove them. Slippers and socks were thrown carelessly on the carpet. The smell of blood and sweat mingled in the air, just like how breathy moans and groans seemed to blend together. The blanket hung on the edge of the bed precariously before finally falling to the floor. And on the bed, on the bed there was a tangle of naked bodies, connected.

"S-sexta..."

Grimmjow's lips pulled back into a snarl. Reaching up, he curled his fingers into raven locks and yanked Ulquiorra's head back, exposing an expanse of all-too-pale skin to him.

"It's Grimmjow, bitch."

Immediately after that was said, Ulquiorra felt pain course through his body, the pain making him grit his teeth. As if that was not enough, Grimmjow pressed down on him, making it difficult for him to breathe, his legs propped up on the Sexta's shoulders. But all that Grimmjow got out of Ulquiorra that indicated that he was in pain was laboured breathing. Panting.

Grimmjow growled in frustration, and sank his teeth into the neck offered to him. Blood gushed out, filled his senses, and still, Grimmjow did not get anything but a small hiss.

This only made Grimmjow redouble his efforts.

_So fucking emotionless._

Ulquiorra hardly ever showed any emotion, and Grimmjow hated it. That stoic mask that seemed to be almost permanently attached to Ulquiorra's face all the time... Grimmjow wanted to rip it off. He wanted to rip it off, see Ulquiorra for who he was, see Ulquiorra's thoughts. Maybe then, maybe _then_ he would be able to understand the motherfucker.

Maybe then he would be able to understand, to know what was going through Ulquiorra's mind when he agreed to this... arrangement. Grimmjow dug his nails into pale hips. To understand why the hell Ulquiorra was doing this, willingly, with a man he claimed to despise. To just fucking understand what was going through that mind of his whenever they spoke, whenever they fucked, whenever he let his guard down when they did this.

He never could tell with Ulquiorra. Even in a situation like this, a situation filled with so much heat and want, Ulquiorra managed to maintain his calm. The most Grimmjow had ever gotten from Ulquiorra were pants, and soft moans. Of course, there was pleasure, too. There was just something so rewarding to be able to break the Cuatro down, to see him flushed, hair tousled and wanting more. But that was it. Annoyance, pleasure, those were the only emotions he was able to get Ulquiorra to feel. And usually, as soon as they were done and when the pleasure-filled haze left Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra would get out of bed, get dressed, and walk out.

Just like that. Like as though nothing happened.

_Just feel, dammit._

More blood stained the bed sheet.

_Feel._

A near inaudible gasp.

Grimmjow wanted more. He wanted to see pain, to see pain twist that pretty little face, a cry to spill out of those lips, perhaps even tears to slip out of those eyes. He wanted it so, so much.

Ulquiorra dragged his nails down a tanned back, creating red ribbons in their wake.

It frustrated him. For years, Grimmjow had been trying to break that mask, to get close to the person behind it, but all of his efforts either flew past Ulquiorra, or he would be pushed away and ignored. It was the same damned thing all the time. "_I don't have time for you, trash_", "_You're being a nuisance_", "_You're weak_"... Grimmjow knew all of Ulquiorra insults. He had to admit, Ulquiorra had a perfectly good reason to hate him. It was not like that they had gotten off on a good start the first time they met and a couple more times after that, and that was Grimmjow's fault, being the kind of man that he was. Prideful, brash, challenging, rude, bloodthirsty...

But still...

Grimmjow leaned his forehead against Ulquiorra's shoulder. Tightened his hold on that slender body.

"... Sexta...?" Confusion laced Ulquiorra's voice. "What...?"

Grimmjow ignored him, though, choosing to keep holding that body. And pretend, pretend that there was something more to this empty, twisted arrangement than lust.

_I wish that you'd love me._

But he would never get that.

So he would settle for just this.

After that, he said nothing more to Ulquiorra. He just fucked him, rougher than usual. Gone was the affection that was displayed for but a short moment earlier, replaced with masked cruelty. More blood stained the sheets, mixed with sweat, filled the air. And when it was all over, with Ulquiorra breathing fast and deep, chest heaving, that familiar flush on his cheeks, and their breaths intermingling, Grimmjow finally saw it - a lone tear slipped out of the corner of Ulquiorra's eye and ran down his cheek.

He should have felt triumphant. He really should have.

But instead, it made him stare. All he felt was guilt, a stab at his heart.

"Ulquiorra..."

As quickly as the tear appeared, Ulquiorra brushed it away, then turned his face to the side.

"Get off me, Sexta," was all he said, his voice hard.

Grimmjow wanted to retort, but bit down on his tongue, knowing how stubborn that guy could get whenever he was like this. Ulquiorra would go silent and shut him out. It was the same thing all the time. He narrowed his eyes at Ulquiorra, ticked off. Pushed away again. How fucking typical.

"Che! Whatever."

He let go of Ulquiorra. Just like that.

And so when Ulquiorra felt Grimmjow pull away from him before settling to lie down on the other end of the bed, he closed his emerald eyes. Heaved out a huge breath. Yet another tear slipped out, and trailed down that emotionless facade. This time, though, he did not bother to brush it away.

"You can let yourself out," was the last thing Grimmjow said to him, before pretending to go to sleep.

"Hn." Ulquiorra clutched the pillow, suddenly feeling very cold. "I will."

_I wish that you'd love me, too._

* * *

**A/N:** Fff sorry for the late one, Akribos! *hugs you* I hope you like it, even if it is a bit... angsty. Lmao. I wanted to write something cheerful for your present, but I came up with this instead OTL. *failslikethat* Reviews are appreciated.


	25. Part 1: Mislead

**Theme #25: Mislead**

_For c. cristina_

* * *

Today was Grimmjow's lucky day.

It did not matter that his date seemed unhappy, it was still his lucky day. When he was first told last week by his parents, Gin and Rangiku, that they had arranged for him to meet their friends' daughter, he had thought that there must have been something wrong with the woman. She must have been ugly or fat or something. I mean, why else would a chick need her parents to fix her up on a date, right? After all, a good-looking woman, even if she has nothing upstairs (her head), would be able to get a date. So this one _must _be an eyesore.

Of course, his mom had said that Gin was close to her father, Aizen, and that Gin and Aizen thought that their kids would make a wonderful match.

Uh-huh. Right. He didn't buy that.

_Yeah, great excuse for covering up the fact that your daughter is fugly_, Grimmjow had thought at the time.

So, with this thought in mind, Grimmjow had tried everything he could to worm out of this arrangement. He had tried everything, from pretending to have other plans to feigning sickness, but his parents knew better than that. Defeated and sulky, getting ready for his date just now was anything but exciting. He had woken up that morning in a bad mood, not looking forward to meeting his assumed ugly-and-fat date in the least. The fact that their fathers would be accompanying them was another downer – it meant that he would not be able to bail out on the date early.

But as soon as he had laid eyes on his date, whoa, boy, did he change his mind.

He had turned from being sulky to an utter gentleman.

Why, you ask?

Oh, it was because his date, _his_ date...

Well, to put it simply:

_She was smoking hot._

Sure, she was lacking in tits, her voice was a bit too deep for a woman, and she was not much of a talker (he didn't blame her, though. If he was a woman and he had a voice like that, he wouldn't want to talk too) but damn, you should have seen her. She was classy. Her skin, though rather pale, contrasted well with her raven tresses, which framed her doll-like face. Her body was slim and slender – he would bet anything that she would fit perfectly in his arms. And her eyes, _damn_, her eyes. She had eyes like no other. They were so green, one could get lost in them. They were so beautiful... so unique. Just looking at her was enough to take his breath away. She was easily the most attractive woman he had ever met.

Too bad she seemed like she was in a bad mood.

Apparently, she was not too happy that her father had made her wear a dress for the occasion. If she was unhappy about having Aizen for a father – _what a prick_ – he could understand, but the dress? Grimmjow did not see what was there to complain about, really. She looked fucking fantastic in that number. That bottle-green dress of hers not only matched her eyes, but it hugged her in all the right places. And it was not too revealing either.

_Seriously_, Grimmjow thought as he snuck a look at her, _what she lacks in tits, she makes up with a cute, fuckable butt_.

Just keeping his eyeballs in their sockets took a major effort on his part.

What he would give to give that cute little ass a tight squeeze.

Ulquiorra – _yeah, that's her name_ – fidgeted in her seat for what must have been the umpteenth time during their entire ride to the restaurant. It seemed that she was still not comfortable in that dress of hers. Her displeasure for it showed clearly on her face.

No matter. He would take it upon himself to cheer her right up.

"So, Miss Cifer," Grimmjow said, giving her a charming smile. For some reason, this only made her narrow her eyes at him, but he ignored that and went on. "Are you still studying?"

"Yes," she said curtly.

And she said nothing more on the subject. Nor did she attempt to pick up the thread of the conversation. Just like she had done with their previous attempts at a conversation. Or rather, _Grimmjow's_ attempts.

Damn. She was difficult.

No woman had ever resisted his charms before. Usually, all he had to do was flash a smile at them and he would have them swooning at his feet.

Never mind.

He always liked a challenge.

And so, with an award-winning smile, Grimmjow attempted once more to make conversation with her. Even if she did not seem interested in talking to him, he did not give up. Heck, when they arrived at the restaurant, he opened the car door for her. Not only that, when they entered the restaurant, he opened the door for her. And when they were about to sit at their table, he pulled out the chair for her. Like the perfect gentleman. For some reason, these acts of chivalry only seemed to irk her even more, and he heard her say something about "treating me like as if I'm a woman", but he did not care. He was going to make her like him no matter what, and women like Ulquiorra just did not allow men who were nothing but gentlemen touch them.

What Grimmjow wants, Grimmjow gets, and what he wanted was Ulquiorra.

"So, Ul- Oops-!" He had accidentally knocked his spoon off the table. "Sorry, sorry, give me a minute."

Ulquiorra could barely stop herself from rolling her eyes when Grimmjow bent down to pick his spoon off the floor.

_Heh_. Grimmjow twirled the spoon between his fingers, tossed it up, then deftly snatched it from the air. _Got it_. He was about to get up when he caught sight of Ulquiorra's ankles. _Mm_... A perverted grin spread across his face as his eyes travelled higher. _Such a sexy pair of legs_... he thought as he licked his lips. So smooth and slim. If only he could grab a hold of those legs and spread them as their owner lay below him. That would be a fucking amazing sight. His eyes travelled up higher, then stopped. Wait a minute. He furrowed his eyebrows. Why was she wearing boxers...? And- he squinted. If he looked properly, inside the opening for one of the legs of her boxers, he could see...

Grimmjow paled.

"So," Gin said conversationally, placing his chin on the palm of his hand as he looked at Aizen, a mischievous grin on his face. "Do ya think he has figured it out yet?"

"Hm?" Aizen said. He picked up his glass of champagne. "No, not yet."

"Yer sure?"

"Quite."

There was a pregnant pause.

And then-

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT...!"

Aizen smirked.

"_Now_ he has figured it out." He raised his glass. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Gin chuckled and clinked glasses with him. "Best. Prank. Ever."

"Agreed."

Ulquiorra only sighed.

He could not wait for this night to end.

* * *

**DIOR:** Needless to say, cristina's request mindfucked me. She wanted a crossdressing!Ulqui and gentleman!Grimm, and... yeah xD Oh, and _Blue and Green_ has gotten over 40 requests. That's a record for me xD Requests are open till... Till I've written 100 short stories here. Reviews are loved as always ^^ Thank you to everyone who has reviewed the previous chapter(s)!

Also... I don't like being the bad guy here, but since I've been having this problem, I have to say it: **Please don't harass me to write for you**. It will only make me feel less inclined to write your request. Thank you.


	26. Part 2: I Can't

**Theme #26: I. Can't. (PART TWO)**

_For renjisgirl12_

* * *

Grimmjow was scarred for life.

Well, at least he should be, and he damned well better be. He had been perving on a _guy_, for crying out loud!

Now, why was this a reason to freak out? It was not like the guy was an eyesore, hell no. The guy was not an airhead either. And though Grimmjow had to admit that the guy was cold, it was probably his fault - what with his calling Ulquiorra a woman and everything. From what Grimmjow had witnessed from Ulquiorra's conversations with Gin and Rangiku, he was a perfectly nice person. So, there was nothing wrong with Ulquiorra, just... If you really want to know why, let's look at this short list now, shall we? It would help clear things up.

Guy liking a girl. Normal.

Girl liking a guy. Normal.

Girl liking another girl. Hot.

Guy liking another guy?

...

Fuck.

Just.

Don't even.

Don't even _go _there.

Granted, the guy looked like a chick, and he really thought that Ulquiorra was a girl, but still. It was just so fucking wrong. And the shock that he had gotten when he accidentally caught a glimpse of Ulquiorra's- Grimmjow groaned, his face red, and buried his face in his pillow, trying, without much success, to get rid of the image out of his mind. Wrong, wrong, wrong. He liked women. Tits and pussies. _Women_. Not men and dicks. The very thought of liking men as well sent a chill down his spine. Too weird.

The sound of the door creaking open, and following that, a sliver of light crept into his room.

"Night night, Grimmy-chan," came the voice of his father, Gin. The amusement in his voice was obvious. "Ya sure ya don't wanna join us downstairs? Aizen brought Ulqui along too."

Bastard was doing this on purpose.

Grimmjow kept his back to Gin, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing his face.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"Alrighty then..." Gin chuckled, then closed the door.

Grimmjow could hear his father's footsteps fade away as the man went back downstairs to join Rangiku, Aizen, Hinamori and Ulquiorra for dinner. The teen gripped at his bed sheet tightly. Ever since that blind date, Gin took every opportunity he got to tease him. Rangiku was the same. And Aizen? Aizen was no better. Every time Aizen came over for drinks, he would bring Ulquiorra with him, and smile that frustrating smile of his. The bloody motherfucker.

Imagine how awkward it was for Grimmjow to have to talk to Ulquiorra face-to-face after such an embarrassing incident.

Well, it was embarrassing for him, at least. Just looking at that doll-like face and those now pants-covered legs (_What a waste_) made him groan inwardly. Even now, he could not help thinking about how nice it would be to run his fingers through that raven hair. And those lips... Why, oh why was Ulquiorra born with a dick? Someone up there must have made a freaking mistake when he decided to bestow Ulquiorra with a penis. Or maybe, maybe they had run out of pussies to give out and they only had one penis left. Yeah. That must have been it. Grimmjow nodded, trying to convince himself. There had been no pussies left, and there was a bunch of penises. Yeah. And when Ulquiorra was born, the first thing the doctor had said while he held Ulquiorra in his arms was;

"My, it's a miracle! A girl with a penis!"

Yeah. That was right.

...

Grimmjow sighed.

He was being absolutely ridiculous, he knew.

It was just... He was a guy, and so was Ulquiorra, so why was he...?

Though Grimmjow was obviously affected in Ulquiorra's presence, the latter, however, either did not notice the looks Grimmjow constantly gave him, or he simply did not care... Or maybe he had just plain forgotten about what had happened, and Grimmjow was the only one agonizing over this?

Grimmjow groaned once more and rolled onto his back.

It looked like he was not going to be able to go to sleep tonight. Staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom, he could hear the sounds coming from downstairs – it seemed that Aizen, Hinamori and Ulquiorra were leaving. He sighed, trying not to think about Ulquiorra. He was not into Ulquiorra. He was not gay, bisexual, or anything that would lead to the possibility of him liking men. He was straight. Straight. Straight. Straight. Straight as a fucking arrow. Straight-

An image of Ulquiorra in a sexy French maid uniform popped into his mind.

... _Fuck._

Cursing, Grimmjow sat up in his bed. The sound of Aizen's car starting up could be heard. That was it. There was no way he would be able to rest his mind until he settled this.

And there was only one way to do it.

Without even thinking, Grimmjow pulled a shirt on and ran downstairs, not even bothering to greet his parents. He burst out of the front door just as Ulquiorra was about to step into the car.

"Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra looked at him, surprised. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"You." Grimmjow pointed a finger at him, breathing hard and glaring. "We're going to settle this right now, you and me."

"Excuse me?"

Growling, his face red, Grimmjow advanced on a confused-looking Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra's confusion only grew when Grimmjow grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him up a bit, so that only the tips of Ulquiorra's shoes barely touched the pavement. _Damn you, Cifer_, Grimmjow thought, growling. _Always looking so fucking sexy_. It was not fair. Men were not supposed to be this beautiful.

"Grimmjow, what on Earth-"

"Shut up, Cifer," Grimmjow hissed. "And let me do this before I change my mind."

"Wha-"

And that was when Grimmjow brought his lips crashing down on Ulquiorra's.

Ulquiorra did not react immediately. He stood there, frozen, for a few seconds, unable to believe what was happening. But once the fact that Grimmjow was kissing him sank in, he began to struggle. Grimmjow ignored him, though. Instead, he pulled Ulquiorra close and continued to kiss him, the kiss slowly growing hungrier. He bit, sucked and licked at pale lips, eased that mouth open and explored that wet warmth with his tongue, one hand fisted in a cotton shirt, and an arm wrapped around Ulquiorra's waist in an almost possessive manner. He was pleased to note that he managed to elicit a small moan from Cifer.

Once it was all over, Grimmjow pulled back, let Ulquiorra go, and smirked.

"Heh." He dragged a wrist across his lips, eyeing Ulquiorra's dazed expression with satisfaction. It was only a matter of time before Ulquiorra would snap out of it and beat Grimmjow within an inch of his life. "Thought so."

With that, Grimmjow turned, marched into the house and right up to his room, a smug aura practically radiating off of him.

He had passed the test.

He had kissed Ulquiorra Cifer, and he was not turned on by it.

Not one bit.

Yeap.

Grimmjow's grin widened.

He was as straight as a fucking arrow.

He was straight, not gay, not bi, not anything gross like that.

Yeap, yeap.

... He ignored the fact that his little friend in his pants was as straight as an arrow as well.

* * *

**DIOR:** Mm... That's the end of this story. Next chapter will be a new story. xD Anyway, I apologize for the lack of updates, especially for my chaptered fics. I'm busy with uni and my muse is currently channeled to the Naruto fandom - even then, I don't have much time to write for it. For those waiting for updates for _Just Like a Girl_ and _Forbidden_, please be patient. I'll update them when I can. Most probably when this semester ends next month. Thank you. As usual, reviews are much loved xD


	27. Part 1: What if

**Theme #27: What if**

_For WolfMikami_

_Happy birthday!_

* * *

You never know what you have till it's gone.

That's a famous saying, isn't it?

But the truth is, you do know what you have. It's just that you don't know _when_ it'll be gone.

How long had he known Ulquiorra Cifer?

Since they were kids, right?

Who would have known that that stuck up little kid would end up being his best friend?

Grimmjow chuckled at the memory. He remembered that Ulquiorra did not take to him very well - Grimmjow, though, developed a crush on him the instant blue eyes laid on him. If anything, Cifer had detested him. It was probably because they were so different. Ulquiorra was quiet, whereas Grimmjow was loud. Ulquiorra preferred studying, whereas Grimmjow preferred sports. Ulquiorra thought before he acted, whereas Grimmjow acted on instinct. Ulquiorra liked to walk, whereas Grimmjow liked to run. Ulquiorra liked silences, whereas Grimmjow did not.

So with Grimmjow around to talk his ears off about the most senseless of things – at least, according to Ulquiorra – Ulquiorra's beloved silence was shattered. It probably did not help that the first time they had met, Grimmjow mistook Ulquiorra for a girl, and that impression led to an incredibly embarrassing situation for the both of them.

"_H-hey... You're Ulquiorra, right? My name is Grimmjow. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," a blue-haired boy named Grimmjow stuttered, his heart beating fast. He had his hands behind his back for some reason, and a bright blush adorned his cheeks. "I think you're really pretty and... willyougooutwithme?" He pulled his hands from behind his back and presented a bunch of white daisies to Ulquiorra._

_The dark-haired boy, who was busy building a sandcastle in his sandbox, lifted his gaze from the little pail that he was filling with sand. Confusion crossed his expression as he looked from the boy before him, to the flowers. He did not quite catch what Grimmjow had said._

"_Excuse me?"_

_Grimmjow took in a deep breath, and repeated his question a bit more slowly._

"_You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen. Will you go out with me?"_

_Ulquiorra's reaction was instantaneous:_

_He flicked some sand into Grimmjow's eyes._

"_I'm not a girl."_

What if he had told Ulquiorra that he still thought that Ulquiorra was pretty, even after finding out that the raven-haired boy was... well, a boy?

And again, due to how different they were, who would have known that their "friendship" would carry on in primary school?

"_I really wish that you would stop following me around, Jaegerjaquez."_

"_What? Why not? I've been doing this since we were five, and we're ten now."_

_Ulquiorra sniffed. "I'm not your mother. There is no need for you to constantly follow me around when I clearly detest it."_

"_Well, I'm glad that you're not my mom." Grimmjow slung an arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders. "And it has been about five years. Accept it, Ulqui." He squeezed Ulquiorra's shoulder. "I'm stickin' with ya."_

"_Hmph."_

It was a strange relationship, but it was friendship nonetheless.

An odd friendship where Ulquiorra constantly objected to Grimmjow's presence, and Grimmjow himself. At least, at first. Slowly but surely, Ulquiorra began to give in to Grimmjow's persistence, his insistence for friendship. And with that, though Ulquiorra still denied being friends with him, they were truly friends. Inseparable.

Grimmjow had learned not to take Ulquiorra's denials of friendship to heart. He knew that the guy cared. It was just that Ulquiorra had his own way of showing it. He did not use words, hell, he was often callous with his choice of words. He showed that he cared through actions. That was why Grimmjow never really gave a shit about what Ulquiorra said (usually). If Ulquiorra said that he was fine, he was not. If Ulquiorra said that he was not hungry, he was. If Ulquiorra said nothing mattered to him, there were things that mattered to him. If Ulquiorra said that he wanted Grimmjow to stop following him, Ulquiorra actually wanted to continue hanging out with him.

Such a woman, eh?

But that was one of the things that made Ulquiorra... Ulquiorra.

"_Heh..." Grimmjow stretched his arms above his head. "Well, this sucks."_

"_You brought this upon yourself. I told you that coming here would be a waste of time," Ulquiorra said. "I don't even know why I let you drag me here."_

"_Hey, hey, hey," Grimmjow interjected. "It's our last year of high school! We should attend these dance thingies at least once. For memories, ya know?"_

_What Ulquiorra said was true, though. Going to proms was not really their thing. Neither male could be bothered to get all dressed up for a _chaperoned_ event, converse with people they did not even like, and dance. But still. They had never gone to any of their school proms and it was just sad if they did not go. Even if they went to prove Ulquiorra right (and to laugh at the lameness of it all. Well, on Grimmjow's part anyway), at least they could say that they had gone to one._

"_You were always the more sentimental one of the both of us, Grimmjow."_

_Grimmjow snorted. _

"_Oi. You're the one who took in a starving stray cat."_

"_I happen to like cats," Ulquiorra said in his defense._

"_Right, right." Grimmjow did not even bother to add that Ulquiorra was allergic to cats. Hah, him, not sentimental? Bullshit._

_Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. "I'm leaving this place."_

"_What? Without having a dance with me?" The taller teen teased, holding his hand out._

_Ulquiorra looked at the hand offered to him, then at Grimmjow's face. It was subtle, but Grimmjow noticed a light blush tint pale cheeks._

_Then..._

"_Denied," Ulquiorra finally said. "I'm still leaving."_

_And so the two best friends left the party; a laughing and teasing Grimmjow tagging along behind a flustered Ulquiorra._

What if Grimmjow had told Ulquiorra that he really was serious about the dance?

And...

_After leaving the party, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had somehow managed to find themselves at a playground, of all places. Since the place was empty, the both of them sat on a bench. Grimmjow was practically nodding off to sleep, his head on his friend's shoulder, tired from all the running around that he had done earlier. He was not complaining, though. It was comfortable being here, just the two of them. Even though they were not talking, it was a comfortable silence, the type that he could definitely live with. He treasured moments like these._

"_You're such a child, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra noted. As usual, during moments like this, Ulquiorra began to unconsciously caress Grimmjow's hair. The blue-haired teen responded to this action by leaning into Cifer's touch. He loved it whenever Ulquiorra did that._

"_Nn... Shut it..."_

_Ulquiorra sighed. _

"_Hey, Ulqui?"_

What if Grimmjow had told Ulquiorra that his crush from when they were kindergarten... had grown into something more?

"_What is it?"_

_Grimmjow sat up a bit then, his hand reaching up to cup a pale cheek. Ulquiorra blinked at that, confused as to what Grimmjow was trying to do. When Grimmjow leaned in closer, the blush from earlier decided to make its appearance once more, spreading itself across Ulquiorra's cheeks, uninvited. _

"_Grimmjow." Ulquiorra had difficulty in trying to not make his voice waver. "What are you...?"_

_They were so close, their lips mere inches from one another._

So so close.

"_Got a present for ya."_

_Instead of closing the distance between their lips, Grimmjow pulled out a white daisy from inside his jacket._

"_What...?"_

_Grimmjow tucked the flower behind Ulquiorra's ear and chuckled._

"_There." He patted Ulquiorra's cheek, and kissed it. "Beautiful. As beautiful as the day I met you."_

What if Grimmjow's courage did not waver?

"_Don't be ridiculous." As expected, Ulquiorra shoved Grimmjow away from him, causing Jaegerjaquez to fall off the bench and land on his bottom. "Don't tease me so much. It's not funny."_

_Though regret tore at his heart, Grimmjow just laughed._

They had nearly kissed back then.

What if Grimmjow had told Ulquiorra that he was in love with the raven?

Would Ulquiorra have accepted him?

Maybe it was his imagination, maybe he was just deluding himself, but he was pretty sure that throughout most of their interactions, he had felt something. There was definitely something there. He was quite sure of it. Which was why, about a week after graduation, Grimmjow had decided that it was about time for him to come clean with his feelings. Damn his worries about how he might be rejected. Damn everything that had been holding him back. Being in denial for years, and keeping all of this in hurt, and... even if Ulquiorra did not love him back, he wanted to make his feelings for Ulquiorra known. He wanted at least that.

After all, there was only a fifty percent chance that they would not end up together. That fifty percent would drop to a zero if he just shut the hell up about his feelings and moped about it like some pansy.

But that chance was taken away from him.

All in one fell swoop.

When Grimmjow had returned home one day (right after making his decision to tell Ulquiorra), he was met with not sunny smiles from his parents, but gloomy looks and a depressed aura. The silence that had stretched between them was so deep, so painful. He did not like it. Not one bit.

It was then that Grimmjow had got to know that Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra Cifer, his long time friend, had gotten involved in an accident.

And that Ulquiorra had died right on the spot.

Grimmjow had felt like his entire world had been pulled right from under his feet then.

And to think, that just a few days before, the both of them had been hanging out, just like they had always done for all these years. Just the two of them. One day Grimmjow was laughing and teasing Ulquiorra, and then the next...

The line shortened until finally, it was Grimmjow's turn.

The air in the church was a solemn one. Everyone around him were either crying, or wearing a serious expression. Grimmjow was not a part of those who cried, though. He had cried enough, and he did not want to approach Ulquiorra once more with tears in his eyes. Ulquiorra would not have wanted that. His throat raw, Grimmjow approached the coffin.

His gaze was met with what looked like a sleeping face – but he knew better. Dark lashes forming the shape of dark crescent moons dusted pale cheekbones, raven hair fanned across a white pillow, pink lips were drawn close, and Ulquiorra's hands were placed on his own chest. He looked peaceful.

"Hey..."

Though Ulquiorra seemed to be much paler than when he was alive,

To Grimmjow, Ulquiorra was still as beautiful as the first time they met.

He was sure, though, that one day, he would meet Ulquiorra again, and that they would be able to hang out once more. He would be able to laugh and tease him again. One day.

So Ulquiorra was not gone.

At least, not truly.

_So I'm not going to say goodbye to you, Ulquiorra._

Grimmjow leaned down and pressed his lips against a cold forehead.

_Everyone came to your funeral today to say goodbye._

His lips lingered for awhile before he finally withdrew.

_I came here to say;_

He then took a white daisy out of the inside of his jacket and slipped it into Ulquiorra's hand.

_See you later._

* * *

**DIOR:** Happy 17th birthday, Wolf! XD Well, actually it's belated (because I really suck T_T) but I hope you like the fic anyway. I hope you had an awesome one :D


	28. Part 2: Death

**Theme #28: Death**

_For Charmane_

* * *

Death.

So this was what it was like.

It was certainly much different than he had expected.

_When he woke up from his nightmare, he could not see anything. Pitch black was what had met his eyes. And strangely, the sounds that met his ears were the sounds of people sobbing. Finding this strange, Ulquiorra sat up, curious. The moment that he did, though, he was assaulted by light so bright that he actually had to shield his eyes with his arm. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Ulquiorra pulled his arm away, and saw his parents, aunt and uncle surrounding him. All of them were crying, his mother crying the hardest._

_"Mom...? Dad...?"_

_But no matter how many times Ulquiorra tried to speak to them, they would not answer. So he spoke louder. But even then... nothing. They continued to ignore him._

_Getting worried, Ulquiorra reached out to his mother, to try to console her._

_Only to find out that his nightmare was no nightmare._

_His hand had gone right through her. _

Being dead, or to be more specific, a ghost, was strange.

As a ghost, he could not touch, feel, or taste. He could speak, but no one would be able to hear him.

For days he had wandered around by himself, ignored by the rest of the world, without an idea of what to do. As private a person Ulquiorra Cifer was, being a ghost was lonely. Sometimes, he would stay with those that mattered the most to him, but even then, it was suffocating. Seeing their misery struck something deep within him, so he would leave whenever it got too much.

And when the day of his funeral had arrived, it was no different, if not worse. The air had been gloomy, quiet, depressing. He did not like it. He did not like it at all. It was eerie, going to his own funeral, watching everyone mourn for him. His mother had wept every day since his death up till the funeral. She was pretty much inconsolable, and it hurt that he could not do anything to make her feel better. He could not speak to her, hold her, nothing. No matter how much he had tried, nothing ever worked.

It was only about an hour ago that Ulquiorra had managed to communicate with someone.

But even then, that person was very much dead, just like himself.

Ulquiorra sat down on the edge of a bed, watching silently as the occupant of said bed continued to sleep.

"Don't take too long."

Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder as he replied to her, slightly irritated. "I won't, Shinigami. This will only take a moment."

She sniffed. "My name is Rukia, not 'Shinigami'." But otherwise, she kept quiet and waited; she knew how important this was for him.

He returned his gaze onto Grimmjow's face. Just looking at that face helped calm him. Grimmjow looked so different when he was asleep. Gone was his usual frown, replaced by a peaceful look. Hesitantly, Ulquiorra reached out and traced the side of that familiar face. Grimmjow shifted a bit at that; Ulquiorra's "touch" was cold.

"Hey," Ulquiorra murmured.

He did not get a reply, of course, but he did not mind.

He just wanted a moment with Grimmjow before he had to leave.

"Grimmjow..."

Grimmjow. He was the only one who had come to Ulquiorra's funeral to tell him that he would see Ulquiorra later. The memory brought a small smile to his lips after not smiling for so long, made him chuckle, made, as uncharacteristic as it seemed, him get a bit teary-eyed. Though he did not quite expect it since Grimmjow seemed to be one of the most affected by his death, it was so like Grimmjow to say something like that. Grimmjow was always the more optimistic one, and he knew exactly what to say to make Ulquiorra feel better.

And after what Ulquiorra had discovered and been told by the Shinigami, Kuchiki Rukia, he could not say that Grimmjow was wrong.

The question was, how long would they have to wait till their next meeting?

Ulquiorra's smile faded a little at that.

There were so many things that had been left unsaid. He stopped tracing Grimmjow's face and cupped his cheek. So many things... Ulquiorra took in a deep breath, and released it.

Grimmjow was his childhood friend, his best friend, the one who understood him the most, the one closest to him. Who was it that had stood by his side all of these years? The one who, when they were mere children, had bandaged his cut knee, and offered to carry him back home? Even after all the hard time Ulquiorra had given him? Who was it that Ulquiorra would always walk back home in the rain with, after a tiring soccer practice? The one who would give him a white daisy to tease him, just to remind Ulquiorra of their first meeting? Who was it that had stubbornly persisted for friendship, and finally managed to carve a spot, just for himself, in Ulquiorra's heart?

Just thinking about it made Ulquiorra's heart clench.

Grimmjow was all of that, and so much more.

There were so many things that he wanted to tell Grimmjow, but did not, and he regretted that. He did not know how to express his feelings very well, at least, verbally, so he always showed that he cared through actions. But even then, he found that that had not been enough. And now, more than ever, he wanted to say these things that he had kept inside, or did not say enough when he was alive.

He wanted to tell Grimmjow that he might have had a little crush on Grimmjow the moment Ulquiorra had laid eyes on him (it was just that Grimmjow had messed it all up by calling him a girl).

He wanted to tell Grimmjow that he did not find his presence annoying at all. In fact, Ulquiorra enjoyed his company.

He wanted to tell Grimmjow that he did indeed consider Grimmjow as his best friend.

He wanted to tell Grimmjow that he did want to take up on his offer for a dance, as cheesy as it sounded.

He wanted to tell Grimmjow that he especially enjoyed the quiet moments that they had shared, where it would only be the two of them.

He wanted to tell Grimmjow that he had wanted to kiss Grimmjow at the park that one night.

He wanted to tell Grimmjow that he made Ulquiorra smile more, made his heart beat faster, made his days brighter.

...

He... He also wanted to tell Grimmjow that even though he often acted as though he did not like any of those daisies Grimmjow had given him, he had secretly kept them.

Every single one of them.

Ulquiorra bit his lower lip, then spoke, his voice soft. Just four words.

"I love you, Grimmjow."

You see, Grimmjow was not only his best friend, but also the one he had fallen for.

Only the sound of Grimmjow's soft breathing met his confession as a response.

Ulquiorra let out the breath that he had been holding in. There, he had said it. Those words, though they had been spoken softly, seemed to echo in Ulquiorra's ears.

"Mr. Cifer," Rukia said, reminding him of her presence.

"Just a minute."

Just one last thing he wanted to do before he had to go. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then leaned down, his hair falling forward as he did so. _Forgive me for this, Grimmjow_, Ulquiorra thought, closing his eyes. He closed the distance between his and Grimmjow's lips.

Time seemed to stand still.

The kiss. He clenched his fist. He could not feel it. A tear slid from under his closed eyelid and trailed down his face, followed by more tears. And yet...

Ulquiorra allowed the kiss to linger for awhile.

... it seemed so sweet.

Wiping his tears away, Ulquiorra tried to compose himself before turning to a waiting Rukia, who pulled her zanpakuto out of its sheathe, ready to send him onto his next life. Though he still wanted to spend more time with Grimmjow, he did not move as she neared him, as she slowly pressed the back of her zanpakuto against his forehead, nor did he utter a word as he began to slowly disappear.

It was only after Ulquiorra had left for Soul Society that Grimmjow woke up, the feel of the ice-cold kiss still lingering upon his lips.

"Ulquiorra," he whispered, breathing fast.

_Till next time, Grimmjow._

* * *

**DIOR:** Ironically, the prompt Charmane gave me was "bring me to life", but this was what my derpy brain came up with when I saw the prompt. Ulquiorra has kinda been brought back to life, in a way, I guess? xD


	29. Fun

**Theme #29: Fun**

_For c. cristina_

_Happy Birthday!_

* * *

Rangiku sighed.

Today was a rather dull and gloomy day. The sky was grey, rain pattered against the window pane, there was absolutely nothing to do, and save for the occasional burst of laughter coming from the living room, silence ran through the very veins of the house. Dull, dull, dull.

Rangiku was dying to go out and have some fun, and she would have done just that if not for her husband, Hyourinmaru. Hyourinmaru, being the worry wart that he was, would not let her go out and drive in the rain to meet her friends at the mall because he worried that she might meet with an accident.

"Really now," she said to herself as she stared out of the window and into the rain. "It's nothing more than a drizzle."

As soon as those words stumbled out of her mouth, the rain grew so thick that it was difficult to see.

"I'd still be able to drive in that."

Lightning struck, followed with a roll of thunder.

She pouted. At least her children, Nelliel and Grimmjow, had their friend, Ulquiorra, over. She had not seen her own friends in ages. Annoyed, she began preparing some drinks, already devising a plan to maybe sneak out later tonight to meet her friends, when she felt a small tug on the hem of her skirt.

"Hm?" She looked down and saw her daughter, Nelliel, gazing up at her with expectant eyes. "Yes, Nel?"

"Mama, have you seen ma white dress?"

"Your dress?" Rangiku said as she raised an eyebrow. "What do you need it for?" She hoped that Nelliel was not thinking of dressing up the family cat again. Poor Nelliel had cried her eyes out after being scratched by the cat for doing that.

"For wedding!" Nelliel said, clapping her hands together in excitement. "For wedding! Big bwother is getting married!"

... But then again, if it was Grimmjow, this might be amusing.

Having to postpone her outing with the girls did not seem so bad now.

"A wedding, huh?" she said, a smile tugging at the edges of her lips. Nelliel nodded in confirmation, her eyes shining. "I think I know where I put that dress of yours..."

After locating the dress and handing it over to Nelliel, Rangiku went to the living room, where the "wedding" would be held, and waited there with Hyourinmaru, and surprisingly, her six year old son, Grimmjow. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She had expected Grimmjow to be dragged upstairs by Nelliel to get dressed, and yet, here he was, sitting on the carpet looking rather anxious. She did not question it, though, thinking that perhaps Nelliel had gone to look for some accessories for Grimmjow to wear. It would not be too farfetched to think that since the girl had even put a trail of toilet paper from the top of the stairs to the living room, claiming that it would be the aisle for the bride to walk on.

A few minutes later, Nelliel appeared at the top of the stairs, and exclaimed importantly;

"Attenshun, everyone! The bride is here! Here comes the bride, here comes the bride!"

What Rangiku saw at the top of the stairs nearly made her fall off the couch with laughter.

There, right next to Nelliel, was Momo Hinamori's four year old son, Ulquiorra Cifer. He was wearing Nelliel's dress, his hair tied in pigtails, and a bouquet of... dandelions in his hands. The fact that he was wearing a dress did not seem to bother him in the least, though. He just walked down the toilet paper aisle calmly and gracefully until he reached Grimmjow's side.

He kicked Grimmjow's foot lightly. "Get up."

Grimmjow scowled at that, something that looked suspiciously like a blush adorning his cheeks. He had been staring at Ulquiorra the moment the boy had appeared at the top of the stairs with Nelliel.

Well, Rangiku had to admit; for a boy, Ulquiorra did look rather adorable in that dress.

Goodness, where was the camera? She would have to take a picture of the "newlyweds" later.

"Che, whatever. I can't believe I agreed to something this lame." Grimmjow got up and stuck his hands into his pockets, his lower lip stuck out in a pout. Rangiku noted that though Grimmjow did not bother to change into something nice, the boy did take care in looking tidy, and had even washed his hands and knees, which were usually covered in dirt. "Hurry up and get on with it, Nel," Grimmjow grumbled. "I wanna go play video games after all of this is done."

"'Kay!" Nelliel scrambled to get in front of the soon to be "newlyweds", grabbed a random book and opened it. She cleared her throat, her expression now serious. "Do you, Ulqui- Ulqui- Ulqui-" She had difficulty in pronouncing his name.

"Ulquiorra," Ulquiorra said.

"Ulqui-oh-wha Cifer take my big bwother, Grimmyjow Jaegerjaquez, to be your husband?"

Rangiku had to try her best not to giggle. This was just too cute for words.

What made the scene even cuter was the way Grimmjow kept stealing glances at Ulquiorra, and how the blush on his face deepened when Ulquiorra said "I do."

The boy was absolutely smitten. Adorable!

Seeing the disapproving look on Hyourinmaru's face, Rangiku nudged him in the elbow and said, "Relax. It's all in good fun. He'll probably freak out later when he finds out Ulqui's a boy too."

Hyourinmaru relaxed visibly at that, though the look of disapproval was still apparent on his face. "I suppose..."

* * *

Twenty years later, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ulquiorra Cifer stood next to each other in front of a priest at a church, the both of them smartly dressed in black suits.

"... Through sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, till death do you part?"

When the priest finally reached the end of it all, Ulquiorra said the same words he had said twenty years ago;

"I do."

Grimmjow grinned at that. He barely heard the priest say, "You may kiss the groom" when he pulled Ulquiorra toward him.

"C'mere, you," he said playfully before crushing his lips against pale ones. Then, unable to help it, he broke the kiss and whispered into Ulquiorra's ear, "You look sexy as fuck in that suit, but I can't say that I don't miss that dress." For that, he earned a soft punch in the arm.

"Idiot," Ulquiorra scolded, blushing.

Grimmjow just laughed, and kissed Ulquiorra once more.

Somewhere in the crowd that had come to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's wedding, Hyourinmaru leaned toward Rangiku, and muttered to her, "I'm _still_ waiting for him to freak out. Is that going to happen anytime soon?"

"Oh, shush."

* * *

**DIOR:** Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Kitty, happy birthday to you XD Lalala, is this fic fluffy and cute enough for you, Kitty? Seriously, my brain is not made for fluff at the moment. You better like this or I shall smite you B| Oh, and I hope you had an awesome birthday 8D *multiple personality, wut*

Oh, and Hyourinmaru is Grimmy and Nel's dad here! Usually, I like Gin and Rangiku as Grimm's parents, but I kinda like Hyourinmaru as his dad too (just that I don't really have anyone to pair him up with, but I think Ran works fine c:) because he reminds me of Grimmjow. :P


	30. Princess

**Theme #30: Princess**

_For GrimmUlquiFan_

_Contains: Fem!Ulquiorra_

* * *

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was an extremely happy man; he had absolutely nothing to complain about his life. He came from a good family, had a stable job, a rather sizable salary, and lots of friends. He also lived in a decent neighbourhood, had a nice house and two cars. But of course, none of those could ever compare to his beautiful wife, Ulquiorra Cifer, who he loved and cherished. Quiet, reserved to the point of being stoic, and one who always played by the rules, she was his polar opposite. It was a miracle that they even got along, as their first few years of knowing each other consisted of the both of them arguing with each other. In school, Grimmjow was always the one to cause trouble, and she was always the one to catch him.

But those years of being teenagers were behind them. They had been married for nearly three years now, and had been together for much longer than that. What was more, she was pregnant with his child, and she was due to deliver very soon. In a month, in fact. Happily married father-to-be, that was who Grimmjow was right now. The only way his life could get any better was with the arrival of their baby.

Sure, like every other person, he had his ups and downs, but what person didn't? He was perfectly content.

But if there was one thing, just _one_ thing that he could complain about in his life, the first person to come to mind would be – wait for it, wait for it, _wait for it_ – his wife.

You read that right.

His wife, the very same one that he loved and cherished.

Surprising, yes?

And for what reason would he have to complain about his wife?

Well, for one thing, Grimmjow was absolutely sure that she was batshit insane.

An example of when she displayed such a quality was after he returned home late at night after working overtime. Ulquiorra was already fast asleep on their side of the bed, tired, a book laid open on her lap. No doubt she had stayed up waiting for him again, even though he had specifically told her not to. A sigh. Stubborn, as always. The sight warmed his heart, though, and that feeling lasted right till the moment he laid down next to her and gave into sleep.

Four hours later, however, Grimmjow did not awake to the same feeling. The blue-haired man was roused from his sleep by not only the lack of warmth that had been his wife in his arms minutes ago, but also by the sound of her rummaging through the closet. Groaning, Grimmjow sat up, hoping against hope that she had a good reason for doing this.

Having gone through Ulquiorra's strange behaviour for the past eight months with her told him otherwise, though. Just what on Earth was she up to this time?

"Ulqui...?" Grimmjow said groggily. He looked at the clock on their bedside table. Oh good Lord. He hoped that he had read that wrong. "The fuck are you doing...? It's like 3 AM. Go back to bed."

"Can't," she replied simply. "I want some yoghurt."

Oh, right. Grimmjow yawned, mind still very much clouded by sleep. She was probably having food cravings again.

"But we're out of it," she continued, pulling on a jacket.

He still had no idea what that had to do with her rummaging through her clothes earlier, though.

"So I'm going to walk to the store to buy some."

_That_ jolted Grimmjow awake. His hand shot out to grab a hold of her wrist just as she approached the bedside table to retrieve her purse. Startled, she fixed him with a curious stare.

"You..." Grimmjow started, his throat dry. "You can't go out like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that."

"Excuse me?"

"_That,_" he said, as though that made perfect sense.

She nearly rolled her eyes at his inability to provide a proper explanation. Nearly.

"Grimmjow, really."

"Tch..." Grimmjow clicked his tongue. "You know..."

"... You'll have to be more specific than that, Grimmjow."

A sigh.

His eyes slid from her face to her pregnant belly.

"Hm...?" Confused, she looked down, blinked, looked back at Grimmjow, and frowned. "Despite what you believe, I'm fully capable of walking, Grimmjow," she said dryly.

"I know that, but you gotta take it easy. You shouldn't be walking around so much!"

It was Ulquiorra's turn to sigh. When she finally spoke, she spoke to him as though she was speaking to a child.

"You always say that. If it were up to you, I would be confined to bed. I don't see a reason why I shouldn't walk."

"Ulquiorra," he said, his patience tested and his voice strained. "It's _late_."

"I beg to differ. It's very early in the morning."

Grimmjow stared at her incredulously. Now that she was moving towards the end of her pregnancy, Ulquiorra was very, very large. So much that Grimmjow was scared to actually let her _move_; of course, Ulquiorra would usually scold him whenever he started pampering her a bit too much, but still. Just the image of his very pregnant wife waddling over to a store during ungodly hours of the morning for a cup of yoghurt was making him want to cry in frustration. And mind you, the nearest store was forty minutes away by foot. What if she fainted? What if she fell down and hurt herself? What if someone assaulted her? _What if she freakin' gave birth in the middle of the street?_

Why the heck did he have to marry such a difficult woman?

"It takes forty minutes to walk to the store from here!"

"So? It's good exercise." Even as she said it, she winced when she shifted her weight on her feet. Her feet were sore again.

Why. Just... why? This behaviour of hers was fine when they first found out that she was going to bear his child, but now that she was reaching towards the end, Grimmjow really wished that she would take it easy. He didn't mind doing things for her, and would always take every opportunity he could to do so, yet she still insisted on doing things on her own, even heavy work. It was only when she reached her limit that she would turn to him for help. And in turn, he would lecture her, much to her displeasure.

Woman's too Goddamned independent for her own good.

But then again, that was one of the things about her that he found incredibly endearing.

"What are ya, crazy? You're pregnant!"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"I fail to see how my pregnancy has to do with anything."

See? See how stubborn she was? Mental, this woman. If he ever got high-blood pressure, she would be the reason for it.

"Argh- you...-!" Grimmjow swore that he nearly had a heart attack right then and there. A vein throbbed in his temple, his temper rose and he was so close to scolding her again when he suddenly deflated and let out a sigh. Really. This woman... Placing his hands on her shoulders, he took away her purse and made her sit down on the bed. Her eyes flashed angrily at this, but Grimmjow paid her no mind. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead, allowing it to linger. "Just relax, aite?" he said, after he pulled away. He caressed her cheek. "I'll get you your yoghurt. Just sit tight and I'll be back in thirty minutes."

Emerald eyes rose to meet earnest sapphire ones.

Silence.

Then...

"Twenty minutes," she said.

And that was how Grimmjow found himself walking down a row of shops in search for a convenience store that was open, clad in only his pyjamas pants and a fluffy white bathrobe. Kiwi yoghurt, that was what she wanted. Not just any type either; she wanted the one by Dairy Farm. She did not want anything else. When he finally acquired the yoghurt, the cashier did not even bat an eyelid at his outfit when he paid for it – he was far too used to seeing Grimmjow in such clothing; this was not the first time Grimmjow did something like this for Ulquiorra.

The things that he did for his wife.

* * *

**DIOR:** And finally a Grimm/FemUlqui short story. xD I was suddenly inspired to write this when an anon asked my Grimmjow RP blog account about the children he and Ulquiorra would have if they were to ever get together, so... yeap. I went with the theme "Princess", because Grimmjow damned well treats her like one here. I hope the story is at least a bit cute? LOL.


End file.
